Before RA Project
by penofmischief
Summary: [FanMade Prequel to YuGiOhR] Yuugi & his counterpart have come out of Battle City victorious. Now in possession of 3 Millennium Items & the Genshin kaados [God Cards], things are looking pretty up. Until... [AtemAnzuYakou & RyouShizuka & others]
1. Chapter 1: Isn’t it strange?

**Author Note: **Okay, do any of you remember this title? If yes, than you must have known that this was the _original_ title of In Darkness's Grasp, before it was sadly (extended and) deleted. I am sorry to disappoint you (says _that_ sarcastically), but this is _not_ the same fiction. (Come on, would I really be so much of an idiot to post it twice? Come on…) This is a new story, the only similarity being the fact that it has the same title. Also, this story has no connection to In Darkness's Grasp; it is its own little story. This story is my own little prequel to _Yu-Gi-Oh R_, which actually came to me in the form of a dream (I'm not kidding—I'm _that_ obsessed (anime sweat-mark) Ah-heh-heh-heh). Any-who, please enjoy this story. If you would so much as read and review, I would be very much pleased.

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**Announcement: **_Please_ read the author note above. (If you are _still_ under the delusion that this is just the first chapter of In Darkness's Grasp) I can assure you that it is a very, very important note. Thank you.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Yu-Gi-Oh_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh R_. If I did, Pegasus wouldn't have died and I would have had Tenma kiss Anzu already in order to get Atem pissed off enough to kill him… (day-dreams over it) Awwhh…

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**Plot: **- A Prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh R. -_ After defeating Malik Ishstar, Mutou Yuugi and his mysterious counterpart have come out of the esteemed Battle City competition victorious. Now in possession of four Sen-Nen Items and the Genshin kaados (god cards)—things are looking pretty up. Until a dark shadow (invisible to their awareness) begins to lurk around them and their companions, targeting the one person they both can't deal without: Mazaki Anzu…_

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**Genre: **Angst/Romance/Horror/Suspense/Drama/Action Adventure

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**Parings:**

Yuugi/Anzu  
Atem/Anzu  
Yakou/Anzu  
Getsukou/Anzu  
Otogi/Shizuka  
Honda/Shizuka  
Ryou/Shizuka

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**Warning:** Rated T (PG-13) (Parents Strongly Cautioned) For Sensuality, Cursing and Misdeed.

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_-Imperfect __Paradise__ (Yamiko) _

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Before R-A Project  
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By Imperfect Paradise

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**-Chapter One-  
**"Isn't it strange?"

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The stars shone brightly that night from the distant abyss of the sky. There were only a few wisps of clouds covering the deep, everlasting darkness, making it look somewhat mystical with the light of the moon as its conjuror. 

Anzu sat on the porch on the Kame Turtle Game shop, the home of Mutou Yuugi and the esteemed champion of both Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. At this very moment, he was the talk of the news, and the highlight of duelists from all over the world. He was now the Duel King—the most powerful card battler in the world.

Tonight was a celebration party, thrown together by Yuugi and his grandfather. Of course, all of his friends were invited to the party, as well as the other participants from the tournament. So, Jounouchi, Honda, Otogi, Ryou, Shizuka, Mai and herself were invited. Malik, Rishid, and Isis were also invited, but they couldn't accept the invitation—they needed to return to their home land, Egypt, to spread the word to their fellow grave keepers that they were finally free. Kaiba was invited too, but he didn't even bother to call up to disincline to their offer. Knowing him, he probably put the invitation through the paper shredder right when he read the return label (which bore Yuugi's name in bright bold letters) when he first received it. Anzu wondered why Yuugi had even bothered sending_ him_ an invitation. It was impossible to get Kaiba to loosen up.

So, here she was, at the present moment, taking a break from the rousing fun of the party, staring up at the late night sky from her position, admiring it with a fond expression upon her delicate features. She had escaped from the celebration for a little quiet time—eager to leave the scene where Jounouchi was stuffing himself fat, much to the disgust of Mai, who watched from the corner while holding her drink. It was quite embarrassing, to see her friend making a total pig of himself, pizza sauce and hot fudge running down the side of jaws with him not caring about his appearance or impression all. In fact, Jounouchi was so occupied with his disgusting habits, that he hadn't taken notice of Otogi Ryuuji and Honda Hiroto constantly trying to court Shizuka. Otogi had been trying to get Shizuka to go outside and look at the moon with him, but Honda wasn't going to stand for that. Without Jounouchi noticing, they secretly began a competition of trying to draw Shizuka away from the other.

However, what they both had failed to notice, was that someone else was watching the young auburn haired woman. Ryou, who was sitting at the far end of the room, with a Pepsi can **(A/N 1) **in his hand, was casting nervous glances at her, Shizuka not noticing them at all. From her spectator's view, Anzu, at one point, did notice Shizuka turn around to actually look at him, but Ryou quickly looked away and starting gulping from his can. In truth, Anzu felt a little sorry for Ryou, knowing that Shizuka would never notice him as the long as the _apes_ were giving her their mating calls. The poor thing.

As Anzu sat outside, continuing to watch the stars come out, something abruptly caught her attention. On the other side of the street where the Kame Turtle Game Shop lay, was the sound of branches cracking and leaves rustling. It was the kind of sound a bird would make while emerging from a bush or tree. Anzu quickly looked over in the direction where she had heard the sound, but saw nothing but darkness. There was nothing there… Wait a minute. There was a—

She squinted her eyes, trying to make out what she thought she was seeing. Her eyes widened as she saw—

"Anzu?"

When Anzu heard her name called by a familiar voice, she quickly turned around. Her eyes met up with a figure, standing right behind her. The figure clicked on what appeared to be a porch light, revealing his identity. When Anzu saw him, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Then, catching herself, she quickly looked away, blushed and spoke, "Oh! Uh… Hi, Yuugi…" She then looked back out at the sky.

The figure smiled slightly, and then began to walk over to where she was sitting. As she sat there, Anzu could feel herself growing rather anxious. The figure sat down, taking his place right beside her, and then took to staring out into the night sky, just as she was doing. He stared up at them for a moment, before he said, quietly, "You know, Anzu… It really isn't fair to call me Yuugi…"

Anzu turned around to look at the nameless Pharaoh and asked, "Well… Then what would you expect me to call you?"

"_Pharaoh_ would be more appropriate…"

Anzu countered, "That isn't a real name—you disserve better than that…"

The other Yuugi looked at her. He asked, "Why would you say that?"

Anzu's face only grew redder and she said, unable to hide the stuttered in her voice, "N-no reason…" With that, she then turned away again, trying to hide the red mess which was spreading all the way throughout her face.

The Pharaoh took notice of this, smirked for a brief moment, then closed his eyes fondly, and looked back up towards the direction of the sky again.

As he did so, Anzu could feel her heart rate increasing rapidly.

She… She just couldn't believe that this was happening. It couldn't be happening right? Yet, it was… The other Yuugi had willingly come to her side and was talking to her. Was… Was this for real? Nah—she had to have been dreaming or something! It was the only explanation. She then looked back at him, and noticed that he was staring at her again. What she saw astounded her.

By, God… He was… He was just so beautiful… The light beams of the porch light were mixing into the light of his eyes, bringing out the full beauty of his panther purple, magenta irises. The light did more than that. It also produced a shine atop of his golden bangs, making them look almost like delicate, beautiful strands of sunlight colored silk. He was so…

The other Yuugi then scooted closer to her, and reached out for her hand that was clutching the edge of the porch step. Stroking it with his own, he spoke, "Anzu… I owe you so much…" Anzu looked at him as he continued. He began to explain, "You have done so much for me… _and_ Yuugi, and I—"

He paused in his speech, not saying anything. Anzu stared at him and asked, "Yes?"

At first, the nameless Pharaoh said nothing. Then, after sometime, he closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, before he looked at Anzu and explained, "I have never actually thanked you for your kind efforts." He turned all the way around to face her and spoke, "Other than Yuugi, you are the one person who has made this new life for me worth living—and I thank you for it…"

With that, he stood up off of the porch, turned around, and began to head back inside. As he entered the shop, he paused in his steps, turned around again and asked, "Do you want me to leave the door open for you?"

Anzu gave a single nod. The other Yuugi smiled, and then walked back inside, Anzu watching as he disappeared into the building.

As the sound of his footsteps began to fade, Anzu couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips. She then gazed back out beyond the shop, not noticing a figure from about twenty yards away, staring straight at her…

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"Oh yes… The Duelist Kingdom party… I should have known…" 

The next morning, Mutou Yuugi, Jounouchi Katsuya, Bakura Ryou, Honda Hiroto, Ryuuji Otogi and Mazaki Anzu were all standing in a straight line, inside the Principal's office, all facing the same direction in the room, where their focus cast upon a single, pacing figure, with nervous glances following every step he made.

After some time of pacing around in the room, the Principal of Domino High finally took his place back down in his desk, and entwined his fingers together. He let out a huge sigh and explained, "I really hate to repeat myself on account of something I have already explained, just as so many other students have done before you—but this is something I cannot let by so easily." He focused the center of his attention directly on the kids and spoke, " I understand, that dueling is quite the trend now these days, almost as good as an actual sport—nonetheless, it still remains a _toy_, and you are not graded and excused for childish games!"

As he reached over for a pen on his desk, Jounouchi turned towards Honda and asked, "Psst—Honda! How do you think Kaiba got out of this?"

Honda rolled his eyes and muttered, "Bribery—the one rule the school is willing to bend…"

_"Honda!__ Jounouchi!"_

Honda and Jounouchi jumped as their names were called, returning to Earth with a costly jolt, Anzu rolling her eyes in response to their insolence. After they had recovered, the Principal took his pen and pointed it in their direction, and while glaring at them dangerously, explained through clenched teeth, "If you value your petty student records here—and _believe me_, when they say are petty, they are _quite_ petty—you will listen as a result of your academic sin—now be quiet!"

Honda and Jounouchi said in unison, "Yes sir."

"Good" The Principal stared at them for a moment, glaring with both anger and disappointment, and then slowly reached over for six _almost_ identical-looking envelopes, that were just recently brought into the office by the school secretary. They contained their progress, high points, low points and _incidents _they have had during their school terms. When he took up the first in his hands, the eyes of Yuugi and his friends widened, fearful for what would become of their student records now.

As for the actual files, the first three (Anzu's, Ryou's and Otogi's) were actually quite normal looking. Their length only exceeded to about a fraction of five centimeters or less. Yuugi's was slightly larger in its thickness, but didn't look as abnormal as the others the Principal had to put up with—which came by the truck load, day after day. Honda's was pretty big, containing _incidents_ from elementary and up—but was nothing compared to Jounouchi's. Jounouchi won the prize for thickest portfolio, containing not only _incidents_, but damage reports, damage receipts, complaint notes from teachers and beyond.

The Principal set his pen down, picked up the first one and read the label. He opened his mouth for a brief moment (not saying anything) before he spoke, "Alright… Mazaki Anzu—third year, Junior…"

Anzu let out a small squeak, all her friends turning around to face her. Without another word, the Principal opened it up and examined it. After taking half a minute to read the contents, he turned to face the young woman, and explained, "Anzu… You have well completed and exceeded the community service requirement, you have high marks in all your classes, recommendations from your professors—a _scholarship_ for Tokyo University for crying out loud (Honda whistled—earning himself a glare), job offerings and yet you _choose_ to openly cut classes and school, and for what purpose?"

Anzu opened her mouth (looking as though she was about to comment on that) but then closed it, deciding against saying what she was about to. The Principal saw this and raised an eyebrow. He asked, bitterly, "Well?"

Anzu tensed up for a moment, before she looked down at her feet, and let out a small sigh. She explained, "I have none—sir…"

The Principal continued to look a her for a brief moment, before he explained, "I am very disappointed in you—Anzu… Very…" With that, he took a small red slip from the other side of his desk, retrieved his pen and began to write down on it. After he had finished, he slipped the piece of a paper into the portfolio and closed it, placing it on a different part of his desk, right beside the pile. He then reached for the second.

"Otogi Ryuuji, fourth year, senior class…" Otogi looked up as he heard his name. The Principal opened it up, did the same as he did Anzu's before he looked Otogi squarely in the eye and explained, "You weren't involved during Duelist Kingdom—why did you decide to take part in Battle City?"

Otogi Ryuuji tried to smile, reached over to scratch his back and explained it what was supposed to be a cheery voice, "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, sir—"

"Well, judging by the situation now it seems like a really _bad_ idea—now doesn't it?"

Otogi recoiled when he heard this, acting as if he had been stung… The Principal put on a rueful smirk, before he continued to look over their files. **(A/N 2) **Then, (after some difficulty) he was able to move the next (Jounouchi's) onto the center of his desk. He quickly opened it up and glared at Jounouchi, who grinned nervously in his direction, sweat pouring down the sides of his temples. He read the label and smirked. He spoke, sadistically, "Jounouchi Katsuya—fourth year _Junior—"_

Honda looked at Jounouchi and spoke, "I thought you told me you _didn't_ repeat the tenth grade…"

Jounouchi stuttered nervously, "Well, that is, I—"

The Principal cleared his throat and they both turned around to face him. He was now glaring at them more dangerously than he had before, and they decided to take that as a sign to be quiet. He then opened the portfolio and began to nail down the contents. He glared and read as he flipped through them, "Midnight Graffiti and toilet paper roll sprees, sabotaging Ms. Chono's car, digging up the school campus without a warrant, bullying, _borrowing _student property, spreading false rumors, stealing the clothes of _and_ bathing suits from the members of the swim team, ditching classes, porno swapping between students, smoking behind the school—may I go on, Jounouchi Katsuya?"

All eyes were on Jounouchi in the room, and he was fully aware of it. His friends were appalled and shocked by hearing the things that their friend had done throughout his service in the school. After a moment, Jounouchi squeaked out, while trying to avoid the gasps and glares of his friends, "No sir…"

The Principal stared at him severely. He then said, dryly, "Okay then. My point is, is that you can't afford to have another accident such as this one! You continue on like this, and you will be facing complete expulsion from this school…"

Jounouchi gulped and nodded.

The Principal smirked, and then tried to clasp the portfolio back together, but found himself in somewhat of a jam. After a minute or two (he had strained over it for quite some time) he finally tied the clasps together and set it down on the table. He then let out a sigh, and reached for the next one.

"Okay… Bakura Ryou—"

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"I didn't know you repeated the tenth grade—why didn't you tell me?" 

Jounouchi muttered as he moved the mop up and down the floor, "Shut up, Yuugi…"

Yuugi sighed and then continued to polish the trophy case. The janitor made it clear that he wanted it shined to the point where he could see his very face in it, and Yuugi had no choice but to comply. As he continued, he muttered, "So that's why you weren't in any of my classes that year…"

Jounouchi then grumbled something that Yuugi couldn't quite make out, but then hushed himself and continued to clean.

On top of being sent to the principals office, they also received a whole school-week of detention as an anecdote to their skipping school. Their job involved several chores—which included anything from mopping and polishing inside the school building, to digging and weeding in the outer boundaries on the campus. They were expected to do this Monday through Friday, after class, for three hours a day—with no complaints. Also, their term of serving the school couldn't be overlooked under any form of circumstances.

After throwing the pledge soaked rag back down into the bucket, (he had finished cleaning the outer part of the case) Yuugi turned all the way around, so he looked directly at Anzu. Like Jounouchi, Anzu had mopping duty as well (at the other end of the hallway)—but at that moment, she seemed… well… _distant._

Yuugi stared at her oddly. _What is with her_, he thought? He cleared his throat, and asked, "Anzu?"

Anzu snapped out of her almost trance like phase, and looked directly at Yuugi. She quickly asked, "Yes?"

Yuugi, staring into her sky blue eyes for only a moment, blushed and then looked away, pretending to be preoccupied with opening the trophy cabinet. Anzu stared at him, awkwardly. After opening the case, and then reaching down to take up the rag again, Yuugi hesitated for a moment, before asking, "What did the other me tell you last night?"

Anzu set the mop against the wall (letting it lean there) before looking back at Yuugi. She answered, "He wanted to thank me for something…"

"What for?"

Anzu lied, "Nothing important. Why do you ask?"

Yuugi heard this and didn't say anything. He then looked away and stuttered, "N-Nothing, really… … Really!" With that, he took one of the bigger trophies in his hand, and with the other, began to wipe it clean. Anzu, returning to her own duties, reached for the mop, and continued to move it up and down the floor, spreading water all across of it. As they continued to work, what they didn't notice was that Yuugi was looking rather down. As Yuugi's back faced her, a tear fell down from one of his panther purple eyes. He thought, _Anzu… I… I just… I…_

At that moment, however, the groundskeeper/janitor of the school walked by, holding what looked like an ordinary clipboard in his hand. Not even looking at them, he muttered, "Time's up, kids… You can go home now…"

Anzu looked up at him and asked, "What about—"

"I have already sent your other friends home for the day. Bakura Ryou, Otogi Ryuuji and Honda Hiroto should be on their way by now. "

With that, the groundskeeper left them alone, and without another word, they began to clean up their supplies, endorphin and happiness spreading through all parts of their minds and bodies.

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As Anzu walked home that late afternoon by herself, she couldn't help but continue to wonder what the other Yuugi had meant the other day. It was strange… And baffling… When she had heard those compassionate, warm and almost 'loving' words pour from his lips, she felt as if she had been lifted. 

She couldn't deny that she had always adored the nameless Pharaoh. Heck, she owed him so much in life. Such as the time he had pulled her away from the convict at Burger World, as well as the time when they went to the amusement park, where he had risked everything to save her from the terrorist bombing.

There was more to him though then just his noble and gallant intentions, though. He was also intelligent, clever, as well as crafty and quick witted. He was everything a girl would want in a man. How could any girl refuse his charming allure? Why, she wouldn't have been very much surprised if there were other girls in the world who adored him as well. She narrowed her eyes when she thought about _that._

It was understandable. Yuugi and his alternate personality were now world famous. The Defeat of Kaiba at Death T was merely the first step of his non-intentional quest to the top. Sometimes, Anzu couldn't believe that a simple card game could change the world as it had. She suddenly smirked, thinking, _My__ hat's off to you, Pegasus…_ Pegasus J Crawford had been a tricky costumer at the time, and his defeat had given Yuugi fame beyond anything the defeat of Kaiba could ever give. Duelist Kingdom had certainly increased it, but it had been Battle City that had disclosed the case of Yuugi's talent. He was unbeatable—unconquerable, _invincible._

Yet those words… Those words he had told her… Coming from him, out of all people. Yes, she had crushed on him, but in her wildest dreams, she had never ever thought of it actually coming true.

A small breeze suddenly blew by, the leaves that had once been resting on the sidewalk were now waltzing with its fluid like movement. However, it was at that moment, with Anzu suddenly shuddered, and the reasons as to why, were beyond her knowledge. It wasn't because of the wind, on the contrary, the temperature was actually somewhat warm—even at this time of day.

Yet, deep down in her gut, at the center of her very heart and soul—something told her that something had changed within her surroundings. She didn't know what it was, but it made her feel nervous and anxious.

She continued to walk slowly, her speed decreasing ever so slightly within the seconds, until she heard a sound of a twig snapping from behind. She spun around, and found herself staring into what appeared to be sterling silver irises.

She gasped at what she saw, certainly not expecting to see something like this. It was a kid or… a man? Which was he? It was very difficult to determine his age. He was very tall, standing at almost six foot, six foot one, he was somewhat ripped, but not as excessively as some people she had seen, yet his face was boyish and innocent looking. Down the side of his broad shoulders, was long, silvery white hair, that reached almost to his breast, while the rest of it fell down behind his back, looking almost like a waterfall made entirely of silk.

However, that wasn't what concerned Anzu. What worried her was the uniform he was wearing. It was a dark, navy blue colored uniform jacket, (relatively similar to the royal/cobalt blue colored uniform that her friends wore) with silver colored buttons fastening it together across the chest (with pants to match it), accompanied by the coat of arms bearing an all-too familiar name: _Rintama._ **(A/N 3)**

Staring at him nervously, she quickly looked around to see if she was alone. (She didn't want to be jumped—and she had learned her lesson well with Malik and his Rare Hunters) After concluding that she was, she cleared her throat and asked, "Can I help you?"

The young man smiled and spoke, politely, "Sorry… I hope I didn't scare you… I just happened to have been going in the same direction that you were going… I am sorry if you felt I was intruding—I really didn't mean to frighten you, you know…"

Anzu smiled slightly, and instinctually answered, "Oh no… Not at all… It's just, that…" Her eyes immediately stared back at the coat of arms on his jacket again, but then caught herself and looked back up at him. The young man took notice of this, (Did he just smirk? She couldn't tell) then looked back up at her and smiled, as if he understood. He said, in that same, passive tone of voice, "Oh… Don't worry about that… I understand that Rintama has a very bad reputation. In fact, I just transferred into that school today. You don't have to worry about me doing anything illicit or illegal…"

Anzu blushed and nodded, although at the same time, wondering about who on Earth is his right mind would transfer into Rintama if he knew the school's public image in the first place. However, as the man continued to stare at her, she added, trying to be polite back, "R-right…"

"What's your name?"

Anzu answered, in what she hoped seemed like a natural speed and tone of voice, "Anzu…"

The young man nodded when he heard this, acknowledging it. Then afterwards, he closed his eyes, fondly and commented, "What a lovely name—If I am not mistaken, it means Apricot in Japanese, doesn't it?"

Anzu nodded, "Yes, it does…"

He chuckled and then opened up his metallic silver eyes up again, Anzu inwardly gasping.

Man, you never saw eyes that looked like those these days. Only Kaiba Seto had eyes like those. The deep, cold, passionate color with the sharp, intelligent and quick witted light that danced within them. They were simply gorgeous… Divine, even.

But…

Anzu then took a closer look at them. She then noticed something rather array.

Although they were beautiful in their own light, there was something—"strange" about them. Now, she couldn't be one hundred percent positive—but they were giving off an emotion she couldn't quite identify. An emotion that looked almost like—_hunger_; a desire of some kind—one that she couldn't exactly put her finger on.

However, just as quickly as it had happened, the young man broke the connection, reached out, and took her hand in his own, Anzu's heart-beat beginning to speed up in its pace. As he held her hand, he said, in a charmingly dashing tone, "By the way… My name is Tenma Yakou…"

Anzu thought, 'Tenma Yakou… Heavenly Horse Traveling By Night.' She smiled mentally, 'What a lovely name…' Anzu withdrew her hand and bowed, while answering, "Nice to meet you… Tenma-san…"

Tenma bowed back and responded, "Pleasure's all mine." Anzu smiled weakly in response. He then stepped foreword, and casually brushed past her, proceeding to walk towards his intended destination. Anzu spun around, and watched as he walked away, not saying anything. He continued to walk for a few moments, before he stopped in his tracks. He cocked his head back over towards Anzu and spoke, "Perhaps we'll meet again… Anzu."

Anzu stared at him, not knowing what to say. With that, he turned a corner, disappearing from view.

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- TO BE CONTINUED -

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The following is _not_ meant to be counter fanfictionDOTnet format. These are merely author notes. They are not meant to counteract the rules or restrictions of the webmaster's policies in anyway. Thank you for your attention.

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**Author Note 1 –** Yes, I am using the "o-so-famous" Pepsi can icon, which is often used in uncut versions of animes (dubbers usually cut it out—most likely to avoid a lawsuit). It has been used in _Digimon_, _Yu-Gi-Oh_, _Metropolis_, _AKIRA_, and so on… So why not use it here?

**Author Note 2 –** After judging the antics of the teachers from the manga (such as Ms Chono and the counselor—the one with the wig, I forgot his name, forgive me) it seems like Domino High is a really crappy school with really crappy staff and really crappy security. Remember when the TV station filmed their school?—bad security right there, I mean hey! What school in their right mind would allow that kind of treatment towards their students and would actually _want_ to be filmed for that subject? (student assault by other students) Get real! My point is, that for this fiction, I tried to incorporate the Principal with similar traits and personal issues as the previously mentioned teachers. After all, you can't make stupid decisions (such as hiring the staff) without stupidity, right?

**Author Note 3 – **This is not made up. This is from the manga. Rintama is the name of a school that Jounouchi's old middle-school companion (Hirutani) attended after he had graduated from Junior High. The school has a very bad reputation, with various problems including theft, violence and drug abuse. Hirutani is desperate to have Jounouchi in his gang, and would stop at nothing to have him back in his circle. He did various things to get Jounouchi to join. Threatening to beat up Yuugi (at one point, he even tried to hang him with his own puzzle—good god) and actually electrocuted Jounouchi with a voltage gun went he denied his request (after having his gang members punch him in the gut—Christ almighty). Hirutani will actually have a slight role in this fiction, but it will be brief. Thank you.

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**Random Note: **Please read _and_ review. I notice that on the new features of fanfictionDOTnet, that there are some people who favor my fictions or have them on alert and don't even bother to review them. I would really like feedback from my readers so I can improve or fix my stories. Thank you. 


	2. Chapter 2: Mind Baffling Elements

**Author Note: **(stares—tying to 'make sure' ) Wow… Eleven reviews. I was expecting a few people to review (particularly those who have followed me through In Darkness's Grasp for starters) but, heh… Cool. Anyway um… I am sorry about saying I was going to update Where Art Thou Romeo and Luck Be A Lady, but I can't help myself. I receive sparks for different stories at different times. (I really can't help that). As for those other stories—I kind of hit a snag with those stories, but I'll see what I can do. Here is the second chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it… Yeah… and um… (mind goes blank) Sorry that it took me so long to update ANYTHING. I picked up my _Kingdom Hearts_ _and Final Fantasy X-2_ video games again, started new games and uh… That and I am taking driver's training. So overall, I very busy.

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**Announcement: **Also, I noticed a critical error with my new fanfiction format. I noticed that where it is 'supposed' to say 'pairings,' I had written it as 'paring' so I will fix that up as soon as I can… (grumbles to herself, muttering about how stupid and pathetic her visual editing is)

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Yu-Gi-Oh_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh R_ for that matter. Why must we go through with this? (shakes you) WHY, DAMNIT!

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**Plot: **- A Prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh R. -_ After defeating Malik Ishtar, Mutou Yuugi and his mysterious counterpart have come out of the esteemed Battle City competition victorious. Now in possession of four Sen-Nen Items and the Genshin kaados (god cards)—things are looking pretty up. Until a dark shadow (invisible to their awareness) begins to lurk around them and their companions, targeting the one person they both can't deal without: Mazaki Anzu…_

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**Genre: **Angst/Romance/Horror/Suspense/Drama/Action Adventure

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**Pairings:**

Yuugi/Anzu  
Atem/Anzu  
Yakou/Anzu  
Gekkou/Anzu  
Otogi/Shizuka  
Honda/Shizuka  
Ryou/Shizuka

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**Warning:** Rated T (PG-13) (Parents Strongly Cautioned) For Sensuality, Cursing and Misdeed.

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_-Imperfect __Paradise__ (Yamiko) _

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Before R-A Project  
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By Imperfect Paradise

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**-Chapter Two-  
**"Mind Baffling Elements"

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The door opened up in the small apartment, and Anzu quickly invited herself inside. She slipped off her shoes, dropped her backpack to the floor, brought her other hand out behind her and closed the door. Feeling free from the stress of her abnormally heavy backpack, she then let out a long, extended sigh from habit before she began to make her way over towards the bathroom of her home. 

She entered the room and flipped on the light, looking out into the room before her. It was a pretty standard, basic design for a bathroom—the walls were painted yellow with a few pictures hanging on the walls above the tall racks, while the carpet was a faded sky/grass teal color. The small room was complete with a tub, water, sink and toilet—everything you would expect to see in a room such as this one. She then turned towards the sink, switched the faucet on, and proceeded to splash water on all the corners of her face. As she blinked away some of the water, fresh droplets fell of her long lashes, and landed onto her already soaked hands. After doing so, leant over again and splashed some more on her rosy colored cheeks. After which, she blindly reached over and grabbed a hand towel, taking it within both hands and bringing up to her face. She dried her features, while rustling her bangs in the process.

After throwing the small cloth over her shoulders, she made her way over towards the kitchen and began to fix herself something to eat. Hmmm… Ramen sounded good that afternoon. As she entered the small kitchenette, she began to get out the utensils and necessary ingredients for her dinner, However, it was around the time when she reached for the hot water, when something from earlier that day popped into her mind.

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(flashback)

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_"What's your name?"_

_Anzu answered, in what she hoped seemed like a natural speed and tone of voice (she didn't want to seem strange in front of him), "Anzu…"_

_The young man nodded as he heard this, as if acknowledging her words. Then afterwards, he closed his eyes fondly and commented in somewhat of a faraway voice, "What a lovely name—If I am not mistaken, it means Apricot in Japanese, doesn't it?"_

_Anzu nodded, "Yes, it does…"_

_He chuckled and then opened up his metallic silver eyes up again, Anzu inwardly gasping._

_Man, you never saw eyes that looked like those these days. Only Kaiba Seto had eyes like those. The deep, cold, passionate color with the sharp, intelligent and quick witted light that danced within them. They were simply gorgeous… Divine, even._

_But__…_

_Anzu then took a closer look at them, and it was at that time, when she noticed something that seemed rather array._

_Although they were beautiful in their own light, there was something—"strange" about them. Now, she couldn't be one hundred percent positive—but they were giving off an emotion she couldn't quite identify. An emotion that looked almost like—hunger; a desire of some kind—one that she couldn't exactly put her finger on._

_However, just as quickly as it had happened, the young man broke the connection, reached out, and took her hand in his own, Anzu's heart-beat beginning to speed up in its pace. As he held her hand, he said, in a charmingly dashing tone, "By the way… My name is Tenma Yakou…"_

_Anzu thought, 'Tenma Yakou…__ Heavenly Horse Traveling By Night.' She smiled mentally, 'What a lovely name…' Anzu withdrew her hand and bowed, while answering, "Nice to meet you… Tenma-san…"_

_Tenma bowed back and responded, "Pleasure's all mine." Anzu smiled weakly in response. _

_He then stepped forward, and casually brushed past her, proceeding to walk towards his intended destination. Anzu spun around, and watched as he walked away, not saying anything. He continued to walk for a few moments, before he stopped in his tracks. He cocked his head back over towards Anzu and spoke, "Perhaps we'll meet again… Anzu."_

_Anzu stared at him, not knowing what to say.__ With that, he turned a corner, completely disappearing from view._

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(end of flashback)

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That… boy… Tenma…

As Anzu poured the hot-water into the styrofoam cup, she bit her lip, remembering that strange and unusual moment. It was so… 'unnerving,' and for some reason, it really worried her. She didn't know why, but it did.

No, scratch that. She knew why. It was nearly everything 'about' _him. _It was the way he appeared… The way he addressed her… The way he looked at her… Stared at her. Gazed at her. How his eyes seemed to be locked directly on her, reeking with that unknown feeling. They scared her in some way—made her shiver, why, just remembering the way they looked at her caused her blood to run cold. Man, they were really like Kaiba's weren't they? Yes, they were beautiful—heh! 'Hell!' The boy himself was beautiful—any girl would kill to be acquainted with him—but there was something… 'amiss' about him, and heck! As if that wasn't odd enough, there was _more_ to him. Lot's more!

Although he seemed benign, intelligent, polite and well-natured, how could anyone at _Rintama_ 'ever' behave like that? She had met kids from Rintama before—and none of the memories were good. Out of all the schools in Domino, it was the absolute worst! Most of the students were either flunkies, thugs, bullies and the girls were the biggest sluts she had ever laid eyes on. In addition, as if that wasn't bad enough (hard as it was to believe, it even got worse from there) a majority of the students were mostly involved in gangs, parties or drug groups. Such people included Jounouchi's old friend, Hirutani. Man, that boy was the worst person in 'Japan' let alone Rintama. That jerk had nearly killed both Yuugi and Jounouchi in the name of his sick game of cat and mouse. That was his motive right there. Hirutani had always desired to have Jounouchi in his gang (second in command, as he called it) but their golden haired friend declined, again and again, saying he would never join as long as he drew breath. But Hirutani wouldn't stand for that. He was as persistent as he was dangerous, and kept coming back at him, finding new ways to convince Jounouchi to join—more deadly and dangerous ways. Man, it wasn't until Jou knocked that bastard off the roof of a warehouse when he finally made his point. Hirutani would never have him—and that was that.

The main point? That place was bad to the core—and it was literally impossible for them to house or produce anyone who came even close to the personality of that boy, and no person who was even 'relatively' sane on this Earth would ever transfer into that school on their own free will.

A small ringing sound made itself clear, indicating that her soup was ready, but she was deaf to it. She continued to think about her day, about her walk and about that boy…

That was the other thing that got to her.

She looked out the window and narrowed her eyes, realizing something more that was completely and utterly array.

What was he doing all the way out here? In this part of Domino? Rintama was in the district all the way across town—next to the harbor area across from the park. It would be nearly exhausting to come all the way out here from there. Why heck, the only person who had ever come out the way was Hirutani and—

Her eyes widened, registering this new piece of information. She looked out the window and stared at the sunset, deaf to everything around her.

Was that it? Was it really as simple as that? Could it be, that that kid possibly someone working under Hirutani? A scout maybe? A member of his terrible, frightening gang?

She narrowed her eyes. Did that bastard still want Jounouchi into his circle? Man, couldn't that son of a bitch take a hint already? Still, she needed to be absolutely sure before she jumped to conclusions.

She needed more information—and she needed it now! She reached over for the phone (which hung on the wall beside the entrance to the kitchen) took it in hand and dialed memory three: Jounouchi's number. She brought it up to her ear and waited patiently for an answer on the other end of the line. Two identical buzzes were heard, before—

—**git da phone already yah little brat!**

—**I have it already you bastard, so why don't you shut your**—

**Ehh**** Wha was dat? Why yie outta'— Remin' me ta give ya a woop'n when you're done, boy! (A/N 1)**

Anzu flinched, hearing the sound of Jounouchi's father's voice. She had meant him once before—and their meeting didn't last for anymore than a few seconds. Anymore and she could have died. As she continued to listen to the highly un-civilized bickering between her friend and his father, she looked down at the ground, a very sick feeling now entering her stomach. She hoped she didn't start anything by calling Jounouchi (judging from the scheme of things, she was beginning to wonder if she should have called Honda), but then felt relieved when she heard Jounouchi's voice.

**Hello, Jou speaking.**

Anzu spoke, as politely as she could, "Hey—it's Anzu…"

**Uh?**** Anzu? What's a girl like you calling a guy like for?**

Anzu let out a sigh, not believing what had just come from her friend's mouth (Why would Jounouchi say something like that? They were friends, weren't they?) before she began to explain her case. "I needed to ask you something—"

**Oh?**

Anzu reached the cord of the phone and began to twist it between her fingers, as one does out of nervousness or anxiety. She then said as politely as she could, "Well, uh… First off, I want to apologize for—"

**Huh—what?**** Oh… Heh. _That?_ Look, don't worry about me and my old man, Anzu. He can barely throw a punch when he's wasted like this—I can block and evade them easily, and now's as good as time as any. Now, I believe you wanted to ask me somethin'?**

Anzu's eyes widened to a critical degree, for it was incredibly hard to believe that what Jounouchi had just said was every-day-life in their household (family members shouldn't do that, right?) yet decided to set it aside. She cleared her throat before asking, "Who was a part of Hirutani's gang? Can you, um… Name a few members?"

The sound of a phone shifting (Jounouchi must have fumbled the device in his hands) followed before Jounouchi continued, **Ehh****? Hirutani? Why would you want to know more about that lousy son of a—**

Anzu pleaded, "Please, Jounouchi-kun—this is important! I need to know—"

A pause followed on the other end of a line, indicating that Jounouchi had taken Anzu's question into consideration. This pause lasted for a few more moments, before Jounouchi finally continued. **Well…**** There was Hirutani—of course… Man I hate that asshole. Worst son of a bitch in the world. Then there was Nezumi—though, he was more of a scout—not really a real gang member, I wouldn't worry too much about him. Then there was—**

Anzu (knowing very well that Jounouchi could take ages with this) decided to cut right to the case. She interrupted Jounouchi in his words, sasking, "Is there a guy named Tenma in his gang?"

**Tenma?**

"Yeah! Tenma Yakou. Have you ever heard of him?"

There was another pause on the other end of the line. Jounouchi hesitated before he explained, **…No****. Not that I am aware of, anyway… You know, I've never even heard of that guy before… Why do you ask?**

Anzu sighed, letting out her relief with one long exhale. Man, all of this for nothing. It wasn't like her to be so worried for something so menial. How dare her! After recovering from her sigh, she stood up straight again, regaining her posture, before she spoke, "It's nothing… I… I'm sorry for bothering you like this. See yah, Jounouchi…"

**See yah soo—**

Anzu hung up the phone, and took it in both hands for a moment, cradling it within them. After letting out yet another sigh, she turned around ninety degrees and stared out of the window, continuing to think. '_What's happening,' _she thought. _'Why is everything suddenly different?'_

With those thoughts in mind, the sun finally set bellow the horizon, leaving the world in darkness.

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"You _imbeciles!_ You got me into the wrong high school! How could you be so god damn _brainless! Tell me now!"_

The trained body guard, clad in a black suit, bowed his head and answered, apologetically and desperately, "Many apologies, Tenma-sama. We should have researched more!"

Tenma's silver eyes blazed furiously, before he clenched his hand in a fist, slamming it against the seat of the limo. "You're damn right you should have!" He leaned back in his seat and continued, his right eye twitching madly. "Thanks to you fools, I am now stuck in a shit-hole academy while my intended target attends another one from all the way across the city! You idiots! Hang your heads in _shame!_"  
The two guards looked at each other, each with different kinds of anxiety, (worried about what may and was _probably_ to happen to them) appalled with the words of the young master. After doing so, one of them turned back towards the silver haired boy and explained as calmly as he could, "But sir, it was hard enough to get you into even that school! We had to create several falsified documents regarding the subject of your age, terms at other schools, detentions, student records and—"

Placing his arms around his chest and closing his eyes (although one of his eyebrows was still tensing slightly) Tenma added irritably, "—In addition, the more you _squeal_ and _squirm_, the more I feel obliged to fire you, and trust me—" He then opened his eyes, and smirked, a devious smile spreading across his face—"I would be more than happy to see you writhe in pain without even as much as twitching."

As these words escaped from his lips, the guards tensed up again, fearing the wrath of their master. One of them shivered and gulped, while the other fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. He then looked up at him, before he looked back at Tenma and stated, "W-We understand sir… We'll make the transfer plans as soon as we can."

Tenma sighed and leaned back into his seat. He reached over for a can of diet coke (which sat in a holder beside his seat) and brought it up to his lips. He said, just before taking a sip, his long locks of moonlight colored hair falling away from his face, "No… That won't be necessary." As he savored the bitter-sweet taste of the bubbling drink, his two body guards regarded him, oddly, not quite understanding where the boy was going with this. Tenma set the drink down again, before he looked back up at both of them and smirked, his eyes glinting with a hidden idea. He said, quietly, after letting out a small sigh, "Perhaps… It 'would' be better for me to witness him from afar, anyway…"

After this statement had been set loose, Tenma was instantly met up with opposition towards his words. One of the guards protested, "—but Rintama is nearly twenty blocks away from Domino City High School. Such a thing shouldn't be possible for anyone… I mean, heck! How will you be able to watch them from all the way over there? It can't be done!"

Tenma reached over for his coke can again, and took yet another sip from it. After pulling it away from his face, he then opened his mouth for a brief moment, before he said, "Then I'll just have to get information on him by some other means, or rather… By the hands of someone _else_…"

The second guard, instantly catching on (he wasn't completely stupid), asked with some form of excitement, "You mean like… a double agent?"

Tenma answered the question by letting out a small, 'heh,' which hereby ended the discussion there. The first guard nodded, acknowledging the will of his young master, before he spoke, "Alright, then… If that's what you wish, we'll set the plan in motion. We'll go through a few candidates and pick the best man for the—"

Tenma closed his eyes and muttered, "Don't even bother."

The guards looked up at him and asked in unison, "What?"

Tenma smirked and while setting his coke can down back into the cup holder, explained, "You people may not have noticed this, but I have already selected a candidate…" The guards looked back up at him and stared, obviously confused.

What did their young master mean by that? Was he serious? Who could he have possibly chosen? The second guard looked at him and asked, "Well… who is it then?"

Tenma suddenly shot a glare out towards the both of them—the second guard flinching in response. The silver haired late teen then narrowed his eyes and growled, "Well… That's none of your damn business, now is it?"

The guards heard the harshness of Tenma's words and winced, instantly silencing themselves. Tenma's mouth twitched, as if attempting another smirk, but failed in his effort.

He then looked back out the window and stared up into the sky. As he watched as the stars wielded overhead, his eyes narrowed in a smug manner.

'Mazaki Anzu…' he thought, his eyes twinkling dangerously in the ever dominating darkness, 'You and I should get to know each other a little more…'

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Deep brown eyes stared at their reflection in the bathroom mirror, blinking solemnly and lifeless from underneath Ryou's wet, platinum blonde bangs. 

The timid young man then reached for the towel, which rested on his bare shoulders and ran it through his long unusually pale strands, drying it off as quickly as he could.

He then took the towel and folded it in hand, placing it neatly upon the towel rack, making it look as though it hadn't been touched in the first place.

He then walked into his room (a pretty ordinary looking room, which included a twin bed with platinum blue sheets and a black comforter, a desk propped up beside the window, a wooden dress cabinet, as well as a table with unusual figurines and toys covering it from corner to corner) and flipped on the light, letting out a sigh as one does when he's depressed.

Alone. He was always alone. Sure, there was Yuugi… Jounouchi… Honda… Anzu… but there were even times when they weren't enough. Though they were kind and good to him (heck, he was more than honored when they had saved his soul from the beyond during the Monster World ordeal) he felt as if he was missing something. He shook his head and then reached for his drawer, pulling it all the way open.

It was around the time when he was putting on his night shirt that beautiful chocolate colored eyes entered his mind again. He smiled slightly, remembering the beautiful twinkle in his friend's sister's eyes. Man, they were good enough to eat. They looked as if they were chocolate covered caramels, created and molded to absolute perfection, that no one could miss in a hundred miles.

He remembered, that when he was in his weakened condition on the battleship during Kaiba's tournament, in the midst of the utmost agony and pain, originating from the crook of his left arm, it was when he had first felt their presence. He could hear the sound of his friends' voices, sounding out from all the corners of the room, his room, but there was one, soft, unfamiliar voice, that abruptly caught his attention. He had never heard it before, ever, **(A/N 2) **at least not to his knowledge, but upon hearing its sweet melody, he slowly opened up his eyes for a brief moment, just before he completely lost consciousness.

He saw them… Those beautiful eyes… And while gazing into them, he sensed a tender warmth that he hadn't had the privilege of feeling for many long years. They were beautiful… divine… and they were looking at him—with concern, fear and sorrow. Feelings and emotions that he had been denied for so long had come back to him all at once. Then, the darkness overcame him again, causing him to fall back into the black abyss, but the image of those eyes remained with him.

Then and now.

As he slipped on this pajama pants, pulling them up over his ankles and up to his waist, he turned around to face the mirror, though he did not see his own reflection. For his mind was aloof—thinking of her again—the 'angel' that had given light to him—and it was the light he couldn't afford to set aside.

Shizuka… Kawai Shizuka… The name itself meant so many things, even on its own… Silence… Serenity… Peace and quiet… It all suited her too. How could it not? She was in possession of gentle disposition, she was well natured and surprisingly calm, like a small, slow creek hidden in the willow, and she lacked the traits of selfishness and vanity. That was it. She was, without a doubt, the 'perfect' human being—**(A/N 3)**

**_Yes… You two are quite different, now are you…_**

Ryou flinched, hearing the voice of his other entity echo through the corners of his mind and soul. Oh _no_… Not him again… Not him.

Ryou hissed into the room, while grabbing the sides of his head, "Leave me alone! Just go _away!"_

A small, amused laugh was heard, before Ryou's evil duplicate appeared in the reflection of the mirror before him, grinning manically in his direction. Ryou watched in horror as his malevolent replica stared out at him, with a smug look on his otherwise divine features, his arms crossed comfortably against the front of his chest. The look on his face was defined and complacent, but his eyes were steely and twinkling with clandestine evil that caused a shiver of anxiety to flow through Ryou's weakening body.

Yami no Bakura chuckled and then drawled, **_Now, now, now… Why would you want me to do something like that? _****_You shouldn't speak to me so harshly, Aibou… I thought we were friends—_**

Ryou opened his eyes and glared, hissing at his counterpart, "I am no friend of yours and I am certainly not your 'partner!'"

Yami no Bakura then sneered, his eyes flashing violently, **_All too true, but you cannot deny that you are indeed very, very different from that girl…_**

Ryou stared at him, confused. He asked, hesitantly, "W-What do you mean?"

The spirit chuckled, before he turned towards him, and explained, **_You_****_ say she worries about everyone other than herself, and that is very, very true… _**The spirit laughed for a bit, while Ryou glared at him. Yami no Bakura then paused in his well-known-amusement, and continued, **_Then there is you. You worry about your pathetic existence everyday—and I don't blame you. You say that you worry about unleashing me, and that is true in a sense, but you never tell exactly why you are afraid of it, now do you? You say that you worry for the wellbeing of your friends while you are incapable of claiming dominance over you own body—but the fact remains, little Bakura—that you are worried about yourself, and 'only' yourself. You couldn't care less about the pathetic mongrel race that makes of the group of your so-called 'friends…'_**

Ryou looked away and said nothing. Yami no Bakura stared at him, looking somewhat interested.

The look on Ryou Bakura's face was one of pain, mental agony and self-doubt. Was that true? Could it be, that in the midst of his worries and fearful anticipation, that he was really worried about his own welfare, and what could happen to him and his life once the spirit had finished with him?

As Rou continued to go over the doubts that Yami no Bakura had firmly sown into his mind and soul, Yami no Bakura licked his upper lip, and added, **_With_****_ that in mind… How could that cute little princess of yours 'ever' fall for someone of the likes of you? She's out of your league—not that she isn't already, 'cause I can see as plain as day that the arrogant prince and the idiotic swordsman are wading on her hand and foot. She'll never notice you, or your feelings for her. You don't have a chance—with her… with them… or with anyone…_**

Ryou screamed at the reflection, cringing as he yelled, "_Don't__ you dare say that, damnit! You have no right to judge me like that! Also, what I think, imagine and want is none of your own damn business!"_

The reflection stared at him for a moment, as if taking in his little host's outburst. He then smirked, and disappeared from the mirror, leaving Ryou alone in the room. Ryou stared at the mirror, not knowing what to say.

Did he finally tell that devil off? Was he finally claiming supremacy over the monster that had possessed him countless times and had wielded his body and mind to his own desire? Was that it? No… No, that couldn't have been it.

There was no way in hell that it would have been that simple. This wasn't like his other self. Not at all. Normally, he would taunt Ryou and taunt him till he was left with his worst thoughts imaginable, and that was usually the time when the spirit would take his leave. That was the other Bakura for you. He always wanted to end their discussion on a high note—so if Ryou wasn't crying, or sobbing or whimpering—the conversation wasn't over yet.

So naturally, this behavior was shocking. In addition, it didn't make any sense as to what in the world was going on in the other Bakura's—

It was at that moment, when Ryou suddenly screamed. He felt something burn from the inside of his body, enflaming it with enriched and amplified pain and tremendous, unearthly heat. He grabbed for his gut and held it firmly, feeling as if something long and sharp had pierced the inside of his breast and was had emblazed it with white-hot flames. The pain lasted for several moment, Bakura doing everything he could to fight the tears. After a moment of this, the pain finally began to die down and as he whimpered in the company of only himself, he suddenly heard the sound of his entity speak again.

**_Idiot boy…_****_ Don't think that someone of the likes of you can beat me in any form of combat—whether it is verbal or physical. It's not just stupid, it's pathetic—and you know just as well as I do that it is not that simple to overcome my persuasiveness and power…_**

Ryou nodded once, while whimpering, tears finally falling from his eyes.

**_Heh, heh, heh…_**** _Good boy…__ Now, seeing that you have learned your lesson, I'll leave you with what's left of your pain—good bye…_**

As the voice of the ominous spirit finally disappeared, the burning sensation reached its highest peek, and lasted for five whole seconds, causing Bakura to scream about again. Then, the pain disappeared completely, as if it never happened. At that, Bakura finally fell to his hands and knees, trembling there for a moment. He then cried in the middle of the room, as a infant does when he or she is alone. **(A/N 4)**

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- TO BE CONTINUED -

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The following is _not_ meant to be counter fanfictionDOTnet format. These are merely author notes. They are not meant to counteract the rules or restrictions of the webmaster's policies in anyway. Thank you for your attention.

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**Author Note 1 –** I trust most of you know that Jounouchi's father is an abusive drunk. In the second issue of the Japanese comics, Anzu, Honda and Yuugi are looking for Jounouchi (he wasn't at school, read the manga if you want to know more)—and when they went to visit Jounouchi's apartment—the first thing they meet eyes with is a beer bottle which hits the door before them as they open it, and Jounouchi's father roars, _"Hey yah little brat—where have yah been the past two days?"_

**Author Note 2 –** I know what you guys are thinking: Duh, stupid! Of course Bakura has heard it before! He met Shizuka right when he approached the battleship. You're such a stupid author! My response? Heh-heh… _WRONG! _You idiots (referring only to the people who actually thought what I had just written), he was under the control of Yami no Bakura _and _Malik's Sen-Nen Rod during that time—it's impossible for him to remember _anything_ while under that level of possession. (That was the case in the manga—and he looked _very_ scary during that scene too) My point being? He couldn't for the life of him remember Shizuka's voice during that time. (raspberry)

**Author Note 3 –** Hey! I said there would be Ryou x Shizuka (Softshipping) in this story, and I stand by that! In addition, I know some of you Anzu fans are hating me for this (giving Shizuka a big role and all), but guess what? Because of that prejudice, you have earned yourself a rant. First off, if there is one thing I 'like' in a fiction, it's the fact that the characters are and remain (for the most) IC (in character). So, naturally, when I read about fictions with Shizuka as a slut and with Anzu as the angel (or perhaps the 'other' way around) I get 'pissed' and 'annoyed.' First off, the character would never do something like that and second of all—if one of them 'had' a boy friend that the other one happened to have liked, (like Atem or Kaiba or whatever) I am sure as hell that Anzu/Shizuka would be happy for the other and would _not_ try to kill off their competition (let the "Sue's" do that for goodness sake…). God damn…

**Author Note 4 –** This isn't yaoi/shonen-ai/slash ladies and gentlemen. However, if there 'is' a yaoi fan in the house (which I doubt), you 'can' think like _that_ if you want to, but I can assure you—that your hope for a couple between these two characters in 'this' fiction will probably give you just as much results as it does in the actual show. You have been warned.

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**Random Note: **I apologize to all of you who have asked questions—I cannot answer them because of fanfictionDOTnet's policies—so… Yeah… If you want to ask me questions, please e-mail me them (my e-mail address is available of my profile—so use it to your soul digression). 


	3. Chapter 3: What Dreams May Come

**Author Note: **Okay. I have neglected this fiction for a long enough time. (though, frankly—I should be working on others, but this one just sort of him me at a certain time) Anyway… It's nice to know that _some _people appreciate my work—and I will keep making you guys as happy as you want me to.

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Yu-Gi-Oh R.

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**Plot: **- A Prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh R. - _After defeating Malik Ishtar, Mutou Yuugi and his mysterious counterpart have come out of the esteemed Battle City competition victorious. Now in possession of four Sen-Nen Items and the Genshin kaados (god cards)—things are looking pretty up. Until a dark shadow (invisible to their awareness) begins to lurk around them and their companions, targeting the one person they both can't deal without: Mazaki Anzu…_

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**Genre: **Angst/Romance/Horror/Suspense/Drama/Action Adventure

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**Pairings:**

Yuugi/Anzu  
Atem/Anzu  
Yakou/Anzu  
Gekkou/Anzu  
Otogi/Shizuka  
Honda/Shizuka  
Ryou/Shizuka

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**Warning:** Rated T (PG-13) (Parents Strongly Cautioned) For Sensuality, Cursing and Misdeed.

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_-Imperfect Paradise_ _(Yamiko) _

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Before R-A Project  
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By Imperfect Paradise

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**-Chapter Three-  
**"What Dreams May Come"

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Yuugi was walking. Alone. In only the company of himself in what appeared to be nothing more than a desolate world of elevated shadows, which towered above his head higher than the tallest wonders of the world he had ever laid eyes on. He looked all around himself, trying to figure out where he was, or to perhaps spot a landmark that could give him a general idea of his location, but could hardly even see his very own shadow. It was truly, a deep and ubiquitous darkness. After looking all around, he folded his arms across his chest, gulping for a moment trying to find some form of comfort. When he couldn't, that made him realize something. 

Yuugi blinked for a moment, wondering for how on _Earth_ he managed to have gotten here in the first place. It wasn't like him to end up in a place like this. Why heck, he couldn't remember being anywhere else before, and right now, he could barely see his nose in front of his face.

It was a rather spooky place. Dark. Foreboding, and it made him feel quite uncomfortable. If he had ever felt uneasy before, this topped it by more than ten times. The buildings around him looked as though they were just beyond a mirage, or perhaps a wave of heat, swaying and swirling in the distance, along with the trees, streetlights as well as everything else around him that made up this strange abode. **(A/N 1)  
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A sharp gust of wind abruptly blew by, causing Yuugi to shiver slightly. In response, he reached up for his shoulders, and took to rubbing them, trying to find warmth in this strange, unconventional world.

But there was none.

However, it was around that time when he spotted the mark of his release from this nightmarish landscape. A shining spark, caught his eye, causing him to turn about one hundred degrees to his left. His eyes widened when he saw it.

It was a glimmer of light, standing at a location only a short distance away (well, at least it wasn't _far_) and with it came warmth and a feeling of security. Compassion, love, and loyalty, and that was something that Yuugi was more than willing to gain after hanging out in this unparallel dimension.

Without giving it a second thought, Yuugi started running over towards it, wanting more than anything to embrace the strange entity. As he approached it, his eyes sparkled with admiration and desire. As he drew nearer towards the glowing figure, he could hear something sounding over from it's direction.

It was the sound of a fair young woman, laughing quietly, as if she was having the most enjoyable time in the world. Yuugi rarely experienced that feeling, which only increased his desire to reach it. However, as he drew closer to the source of what he thought was salvation, he suddenly recognized the owner of the charmingly melodious voice.

_Anzu?_ he thought. Yes… It was the voice of his childhood friend… Mazaki Anzu, the girl he had always been companions with ever since his first year elementary school. Cheerful… Spirited… Boisterous… Just as she always was.

He increased his speed, the shining target becoming bigger and bigger as he moved closer and closer to it, becoming more and more determined to meet the source. As he inched closer, he was beginning to see a frame of the woman within the source of the light. He smiled happily, knowing that he was _almost_ there… Just a few more yards now, and he would be there! As he drew even closer, he suddenly noticed something rather out of the usual run of things.

_Anzu _was the source of the light. It seemed impossible—but there she was. Smiling at him… She was glowing radiantly as if she were a divine goddess, a fairy, an angel or some other figure out of the fairy tales. Like a princess from a tower—looking as though she was waiting for him and him alone. Yet all the while, he only wanted to get closer to it. It was as if Anzu was all he wanted right now. And that was just fine with him.

She was almost in his range, and he was so, so close. He smiled, anticipating meeting up with her. Then, he reached out, and at that moment—

Another hand reached out for her shoulder, clapping itself onto it, causing Anzu to suddenly look away from him. Yuugi saw this and stopped in his tracks utterly confused and bewildered. What… What just happened? Yuugi stared for a moment, perplexed and confounded but then slowly looked at the owner of the hand who had distracted Anzu from him. And afterwards, Yuugi's eyes widened, in sight of what he was seeing.

It was his other self. There was his second shadow, who was presently smiling at Anzu, charmingly, and in a gentlemanly way. Yuugi just stared, not understanding what was happening, then looked back over at Anzu. _Why_, he thought. _Why is he…?_

Anzu's face had become a deep, red rose color, as if she herself had not expected this to happen either… Wait a minute! Was… Was she… _Blushing? _

Yuugi could not believe it. He just couldn't. Anzu… Anzu wasn't really…

Suspicions were later confirmed when Anzu's eyes suddenly sparkled, and a smile twitched at the edge of her lips. And just like _that_, her chastely emotions suddenly bloomed into full fruition, as she smiled broadly at Yuugi's other self, as if she had been waiting for him for a time longer then intended, and all he did was smile back.

Yuugi stared, not daring to believe it. _No… _he thought. _Please don't! I don't want to—_

He then watched in horror, as his other self reached over and wrapped his arms around her waste, while Anzu responded by wrapping her arms around his shoulder blades, bringing him even closer to her. They then began leaning closer to each other, looking as though they were almost ready to join their lips together in a passionate kiss. Yuugi closed his eyes and winced, not wanting to see anymore. Tears had instantly begun falling down his eyes, looking as though he had just been burned and was trying to hide it.

_Why…_ he thought, sadly. _Why won't Anzu love me? I want to be with her more than anything in the world… I've looked out for her… "Cared" for her… I always promised I wouldn't let anything happen to her. Why? How? How could she not feel the same way?_ He whimpered for a moment (a mark of the best he could do to restrain sobbing out loud) but then hesitantly opened his eyes, trying to see if they had broken apart yet (he was hopeful) but then saw something rather disturbing.

Anzu wasn't there… And neither was his other self. They had gone. Left him. Alone. Tears fell from his eyes, realizing he had been abandoned by the two people who once loved and trusted. He fell to his knees and thought, _No… No! How could this have happened?_ His tears began to increase, and he tried his best not to release any sobs (they were beginning to break through)—

But then, he heard something. He looked up for a moment, glancing out in all directions, trying to find the source of the sound. It was the sound of… Crying… Despair… Sadness… But where was it coming from—moreover, who exactly was producing such sounds? Then, as he looked out behind him, he saw something in the distance… A kneeling figure… Who was shivering, rocking back and forth—as if in distress. He knew that feeling. Heck—if he could remember all the times he had been picked on in the elementary and Junior High, he could remember it anywhere…

And now, that same person, was suffering what he had gone through.

Yuugi saw this and stood up, and instantly took to running over towards the figure. Who it was, he didn't know… Why he was crying, he didn't know. All he knew was, the person was in despair, and needed some form of aid—and from the looks of things he was the closest thing the person could ever have. However, when he reached a distance from the figure about three feet away, he suddenly gasped at the person's identity, not believing it.

It was his other self, alone, looking as though something had ripped him to shreds. His clothes were tattered, were somewhat soaked with blood, yet he could see no wounds of any kind on him. That made Yuugi realize something almost instantly. As his other identity continued sobbing, crying as if he were an infant or a small child, Yuugi saw this and slowly stepped backwards, not believing this. No… That couldn't be… No, it can't be… Had his other self… Had… Had he… Had he really…?

" (sniffle) … … A-A-Anzu… (sniffle) I… I…"

Yuugi gasped slightly, when he heard his partner speak out loud for the first time since he encountered him in this strange world… But… Not to _him_… Or was he? Yuugi stood beside him, leaned down and asked, hesitantly, "… …Mou Hitouri no Boku? … What's going on…? _Tell_ me."

The other Yuugi cringed for a moment, shivering as if he was dreading something, while Yuugi just stared at him oddly. That was strange. Was he afraid of _him_—or was it… Something _else?_ Suspicions were later dismissed when his other self looked out ahead, as if Yuugi wasn't next to him in the first place. Yuugi just stared at him, not knowing what to think of this, well… "Atypical" situation.

He had always respected his other self. Whether it was for his undying will, his unbreakable passion, or his will to dominate and emerge victorious from every obstacle the two of them had ever faced. Although monstrous at times, his other self was noble, righteous, and although he was somewhat arrogant at times, he still remained humble in almost any given circumstance. He had done so many _noble_ things—whether it was defeating Kaiba at Death T and later at Battle City, or emerging triumphant out of Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom tournament and hell! He had even saved him from some form of trouble back in his freshmen year, when his first major enemy, Ushio, had threatened to kill him those many years ago… Point being? His partner had boundless courage, bravery and heart—which was why Yuugi admired him so much. Still… What had _happened?_ What happened to have made his partner change so drastically in such a short amount of time? This was awkward. Insane… Crazy even…

Then, through short breaths, the other Yuugi gasped, swaying slightly, "I-I couldn't… I couldn't save you… F-Forgive me… A-Anzu… P-P-Please…"

After those words were spoken, Yuugi's jaw dropped. He stared at his other self, not knowing what to say. Gazing upon him, with confused eyes and an ajar jaw, he thought, … … …_Save her? What?_

It was around that time when the body containing the soul of the former pharaoh finally stumbled from his kneeling position, and collapsed to the ground, where he lay there, motionless. Yuugi just stared at his fallen comrade, not believing it at first. Then, when he understood what had happened, he slowly began to step backwards. His temples were wet, and tears were threatening to fall from his eyes. Had… Had his other self… H-Had he really…?

Then, the impossible happened. The body of the nameless king suddenly began to disperse, looking as though it were vanishing into thin air as if he were nothing but a dying projection. Yuugi saw this, and suddenly cried out, "_Mou Hitouri no Boku!"_ He ran forward, reaching out for his partner, as if trying to grab him before the worst should happen, but that was when his companion completely faded away, leaving Yuugi all alone in the strange world of oblique shadows and darkness.

For a minute or so, Yuugi just stared at the blank space where his comrade had just been kneeling only a moment ago, not believing what had happened. He could feel himself shaking, from fear of what had just happened. He then reached for the sides of his face, and cried out, eyes widening to the maximum size, "W-W-What the—? No! _No!_ God! What _the hell_ is going _on!"_

"_Yuugi_…"

Yuugi suddenly snapped out of his panicking stage, hearing yet another familiar voice. Registering it instantly, Yuugi looked all around him, eyes darting in all possible directions, screaming out, "Anzu? _Anzu!_ Where _are you! Talk _to me! Tell me _where _you are?"

"… …Yuugi… _Help_ me… _Please_…"

_What?_ When Yuugi heard his friend's voice again, Yuugi immediately faced the source of it, and found what he had been searching for…

Anzu was standing right behind him—but… Her _light_… The light she had had only a few minutes ago… It… It had gone… Disappeared. Vanished as if she had never been in possession of it in the first place. However, sweat fell down the side of his face when he saw something else that was obscure with the physical form of his friend. The light from her eyes had also vanished, making it look as though her soul had died… Disappeared… Yuugi remembered that expression. He had seen it with his grandfather's body when Pegasus had sucked out his soul right before duelist kingdom, trapping it inside their television. **(A/N 2)** And that wasn't the only time either. He saw it with Mokuba right before the duel between that same wretched man and his very own rival, Kaiba Seto, who would soon join him in that same physical state. Yuugi began walking over towards her, and while looking right at her, whispered gently, "… …Anzu… I don't understand… What's going on… What happened?"

"_Help_ me, Yuugi… Please…"

That made Yuugi jump back, a little taken aback from his strange situation. She didn't even open her mouth that time. Her body was there, was it was not speaking. Her voice was coming from somewhere else. But… But where?

As Yuugi just stared blankly at her, gawking at her, not understanding what was going on, he then saw something coil around Anzu's ankles. His eyes widened and he gasped when he saw them. Strange… It looked like the branches of a dead rose bush, but the thorns looked as though they were made out of smoke. That didn't concern Yuugi though, what scared him was what they were doing… As they completely coiled around Anzu's lower leg, and proceeding up towards the rest of her body, she was also being pulled in the opposite direction direction. Yuugi looked over towards the area it was pulling her, and noticed that there was a figure, shrouded in darkness, was pulling at the vines, bringing Anzu closer to him.

Yuugi saw this and instantly cried out, "_Nooooo!" _He tried to run over towards Anzu, but was suddenly stopped cold hen something had grabbed him by his ankle. Yuugi tripped and fell to the ground, gasping, his back tingling with sharp jolts as the pain traveled down his spine. He then cringed and looked up, watching as the vines continued wrapping around Anzu, bringing her closer and closer towards the figure. Yuugi reached out, screaming, "No! _No, don't!"_

Then, as the vines completely wrapped around Anzu, shielding everything from her feet to her upper neck the figure slowly reached out and grabbed her bound self, holding her in its arms, bridal style. All the figure did was look smugly at her, giving off the impression that he had gotten what he wanted, and was more than just content. Yuugi growled and cried, "Who the hell are you! What do you want!"

It was around the time, when the figure suddenly looked directly at Yuugi, revealing his identity. It was when their eyes met, when Yuugi stared in absolute horror, not believing what he was seeing. That… It couldn't be. It was impossible! _No… _he thought, _How… How can that—_

Then, he suddenly felt something dig into the flesh of his legs, and he responded by crying out loud in great pain. He cringed for a moment, as whatever it was dug deeper into his body, before he growled, "Let me go you lousy son of a—" With that, he pushed his body up slightly, cocked his head back and looked behind him and then paused, staring in absolute horror for the next couple of seconds. He opened his mouth to scream, and then… **(A/N 3)**

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Yuugi shot up out of his bed, gasping for air, his eyes wide and fearful as he awoke from his horrid, horrid dream. His blue blanket fell off of his tealish, blue pajama top and into his lap, where his hands grasped it tightly. His evening apparel and hair were both soaked with sweat, and his eyes were still filled with utmost terror as he released wheezing breaths again, again and again. 

He looked all around his room, confused, not understanding what had happened. What happened to Anzu? And his other self? Where was that world of darkness? Where did everything go? What was that thing that swallowed her up?

Then, after slowly beginning to realize that all he had just seen was nothing more than the most deadly figments that imagination could ever come up with to use against his unconscious self, he let out a long, extended sigh, and collapsed against the edge of the wall, relieved that what he had seen hadn't been real. Then, after a fraction of a minute, he slowly looked down at his lap and bit his lip, thinking quietly to himself.

_What was that…?_ He thought to himself. _A world of darkness, Anzu disappearing? And… Mou Hitouri no Boku was… Crying? Why, though… What could have happened?_

He continued breathing stiffly for a moment longer, (although, his normal train of breath was slowly returning to him) before he glanced over at the mirror on the other side of his room and saw crimson magenta eyes staring deep into his own purple panther ones. He blinked for a moment, wondering exactly _how long_ his other self had been observing him like this.

Nonetheless, his thoughts were interrupted when the Pharaoh looked at him sternly and asked in a quiet voice, **_Aibou… What happened? What's wrong?_**

Yuugi did nothing more but stare at him, blankly, not knowing whether or not that he should tell what he had just seen. And he had very good reason to. It had been… So horrible… So monstrous… And terrifying… Then, there were the bigger problems. How would his other half respond to such a atrocious fantasy? What would he think of Yuugi for mentally conjuring up of such a horrendous dream, anyway? Also, if he had to tell his other self that he was sobbing like an little baby, than…

Yuugi, (deciding quite quickly that he _really _didn't want to do this) swiftly looked away, instantly giving off the impression that he wanted to say no more, however, this did little to distract his other self from what had happened.

The spirit did nothing more but narrow his eyes, and then demanded, in a somewhat nagging tone of voice, … **_Yuugi—_**

Yuugi sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to easily weasel out of this conversation. Still… He wouldn't give him _all_ the beans—just the basics—well, at _least _to start out with. He inhaled deeply, before he whispered a deathly quiet voice, "It was… a nightmare… A terrible, _terrible_ nightmare…"

The Pharaoh merely raised his eyebrows at this answer. _**Ho?**_

Yuugi nodded once, not saying anything after that. Maybe that would be enough for his partner. Perhaps, he wouldn't ask any more of him.

How wrong he was.

In the reflection, his other self stood up off of the bed and began walking over to him. When he reached the edge of the mirror, the spirit of the puzzle then merely walked through the it as if he was walking through a wall made of calm water, and then continued walking as if it wasn't abnormal at all. He then took his place right besides Yuugi on the bed, leaned forward and entwined his fingers together, looking as if he was deep in thought. Then, after a minute or so, he glanced over at Yuugi, and asked quietly,**_Can I ask what it was about?_**

Yuugi suddenly inhaled deeply, not wanting to speak of it. For also (he clenched the edge of the blanket), in addition on top of telling his comrade about him possessing infantile qualities in his dream, he really didn't want to admit to his other self that he was jealous about him and Anzu. It would complicate things.

_**Aibou…?**_

Yuugi looked away and murmured, "I really don't want to…"

It was around that time when the Pharaoh narrowed his eyes, looking slightly irritated. He then stated, sternly yet with some form of a father/mother like attitude, **_I'm only trying to "help" you, Yuugi…_**  
At these words, Yuugi suddenly looked out at him, his eyes watering slightly, and snapped, "Well _help _me, by _not _helping me!"

When those words escaped his lips, the spirit did nothing more but stare at him, although, his eyes did widen slightly, obviously taken-aback by his partner's sudden outburst. For, frankly, he could not understanding why his partner and companion would treat him like that. After all they had been through, this was very strange and awkward behavior for Yuugi. Why… Why would he treat him so poorly, when he was only trying to comfort him?

Yuugi took notice of this, and suddenly felt shame course through his body, placing him into an uncomfortable position. He let out a defeated sigh. _Darn_ it! How could he treat his other self like that? After all, he had him to thank for so many things. For rescuing his grandpa, for saving him from Yami no Malik's game of darkness, as well as many other things that had happened the previous three years. He then inhaled sharply and admitted, in a voice that seemed like it belonged to a dishonest child who finally decided to tell the truth, "Alright, I'll tell. I'll tell…"

His other self stared at him awaiting his answer. He then leaned back and stated, **_Shoot._**

Yuugi paused for a moment, looking out into blank space for a fraction of a minute or so, giving off the impression that the was trying to figure out how to word it. After which, he quietly admitted, "… … … In my dream… Anzu… … Was _taken…_"

When the other Yuugi heard this, his eyes widened for a brief moment, but then reduced themselves back to the normal size. _Anzu? _he thought to himself. _Is that what this is about? _He looked back over at Yuugi and asked, … **_How? By who?_**

Yuugi shook his head and murmured, "I don't know… I couldn't tell, it was so dark… I just watched as the figure dragged her down into the darkness, smirking, looking as though he didn't care about what other people wanted, what Anzu wanted, and—"

He then paused for a moment, suddenly feeling a chill run down his spine. Damnit, he really didn't want to say anymore than that—it was just too awful, and—

_**And…?**_

Yuugi sighed for a moment, before he looked out ahead and admitted, "It was… _Strange_… For a moment, I thought that the figure was… That he was…"

He then paused for a moment, as if he doubted his own words. His other self stared at him with a calculating look, awaiting Yuugi's answer. When it didn't come, he asked, **_Yes…?_**

Yuugi took a deep breath, before he looked out towards the window and looked over at the moon. A moment of silence followed before…

"For only a moment there, I thought he was… … Pegasus…"

That name hit like a gong on the head, and when it did, the spirit's jaw dropped, hearing this, not believing it either. However, that little dose of ill-faith couldn't stop every ill-fated memory from bouncing back into his memory at full throttle, every one worth it's cent in deadly, deadly poison. _Pegasus? _he thought. _Why would Yuugi dream about him?_ He then blinked for a moment, before he cleared his throat, and asked, again, **_Pegasus?_**

"Yeah… But… It couldn't have been him. He was younger… _So much_ younger… Heck, it looked like he was a little over or our age exactly! In addition, there were a few other things aloof about him as well." As Yuugi continued, the spirit bit his lip, taking in every bit of his information. When Yuugi had finished, he took a deep breath, and then looked down at his lap again. Yuugi just stared at him, awaiting his answer. A few minutes passed by, a few slow, uncomfortable minutes, before his other self finally spoke to him.

_**It was only a dream. I'd try not to worry about it if I were you.**_

Yuugi heard this and his eyes widened. He then opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted.

_**Yuugi, just don't worry about it. Get some sleep, and I assure you, you'll forget about it, in no time flat!**_

Yuugi started, "But Mou Hitouri no Boku—"

_**Think about it Yuugi. Last time you saw Anzu, she was perfectly safe and sound, and Pegasus hasn't been heard from for almost two years now. Why worry about something when you know it wasn't real in the first place, nor has the chances of becoming real anytime soon?**_

Yuugi's jaw remained open for just a moment, before he slowly closed his mouth and actually acknowledged his other self's advice. He then shook his head, finally at due time beginning to see his dream as nothing more than a ludicrous fantasy, and murmured, "You're right…" With that, he climbed back into bed, and slipped himself inside his now semi-dried bed. His other self was right. His friends were perfectly okay when he was working with them anyway, and there hadn't been any news on Pegasus. However, before he fell back onto the mattress, a thought suddenly infiltrated his mind. After pondering about it for a moment, he looked over at his partner, who was walking back over towards the image of the bed in the mirror. He hesitated for a moment, before he asked, "M-Mou Hitouri no Boku?"

**_Hmmm? _**His other self turned around to face him once more, wondering what Yuugi had to say now.

Yuugi remained quiet for a moment longer, looking away for only a second, before he looked right back at him and asked, in a quiet yet (at the time, an) inquisitive voice, "Do you think that—well… That Pegasus has any relatives? Or people "close" to him… Other than Cyndia? … …"

His other self's expression did not change, nor evolve. Then, after a moment or two, he turned around again and stated calmly as he walked over towards his own resting place, **_Get some sleep Yuugi… Your hanging out with your friends again tomorrow. You need your rest…_**

Yuugi sighed, (knowing that his other self didn't even take what he had asked seriously) and then glanced back over at his comrade's translucent form and said, "Goodnight…"

**_Goodnight, Yuugi_**.

With that, Yuugi sunk back into his bed, pulled his covers up, and placed himself in an adequately comfortable position. His eyes then began to close, feeling the powers of the infamous sleep beckoning to him once again, and began to drift away, back into the world where nothing was real, and where nothing was factual. However, as he did, his other self continued staring out ahead, registering this new information.

He then looked up at the ceiling, and thought to himself, _Still… Things have gotten a little too quiet after all we've been through. It's not right… It seems like there is still something that we aren't quite aware of yet..._

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- TO BE CONTINUED -

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The following is _not_ meant to be counter fanfictionDOTnet format. These are merely author notes. They are not meant to counteract the rules or restrictions of the webmaster's policies in anyway. Thank you for your attention.

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**Author Note 1 –** I know what you're thinking. And the answer is "no." Heh, thought I would mention this. For all you dub watchers, be aware that the so-called "shadow realm" doesn't even exist in the original Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh. It was never mentioned once, and wherever that dark dimension was where Pegasus and Yuugi did their last hurrah or where Yami no Malik had his 'victims' sentenced—it was not that accursed 4KIDS violence/bloodshed/death scapegoat. It was nothing more than a 'field' that took up residence wherever a Yami no Gamu/Game of Darkness/Shadow Game took place. It cannot be summoned elsewhere. For instance, during that battle with Yuugi and Pandora (or Arcana for those who are more familiar with his English name) those blades were normal electric saw blades, and whoever lost would just have their legs cut off (gory, but the truth) Heh. Shadow realm hologram blades? Yeah, _right_! Also, do any of you remember the tag team duel with Yuugi and Kaiba on top of that building? Come _on_, be serious… Who could ever believe such bull shit that they would "_fall-to-the-shadow-realm_" when the dynamite went off? (cracks up laughing)

**Author Note 2 –** Yeah… In the manga, Yuugi's grandfather wasn't trapped in a card like Mokuba and Kaiba. He was actually trapped inside the very video Pegasus had sent to Yuugi, and he actually accompanied Yuugi through Duelist Kingdom while inside a portable Video Camera. (Not kidding Around) In fact, there was a very funny situation involving Bakura and the video tape. Here is some dialogue from it (I do not own it, thank you very much, just using it for an example)

_-Hmm? What are you watching, Yuugi? _  
_-Ho-Ho! You're Bakura, aren't you? Good morning! _  
-(sweat-drop) … _It… "spoke"… to me… _

**Author Note 3 –** In case you didn't' notice, that entire dream was a gigantic metaphor. I assume all the readers of this fiction are somewhat familiar with Yu-Gi-Oh R, right? For those who aren't, you should probably get information before reading this author note. As for those who are, well, first off, Atem covered with blood is another way of demonstrating his battles with the card professors and coming out triumphant. Also, when he disappears, it is the moment of triumph for Yakou's revenge. Also, with the rose vines, you know how in Pegasus's flashbacks with Cyndia, that there are rose petals in almost every scene? It is the mark of retribution of the failed attempt of Pegasus resurrecting his wife at Duelist Kingdom (the reason why they are dead). Last but not least, Anzu being swallowed up shows how she has become helpless while under Yakou's control. Thank you.

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**Random Note: **Yeah, and there's chapter three. Sorry that it took so long, things have been kind of rough for me. Were in the middle of selling my horse, I just completed six finals and am awaiting my dreaded report card, I can't make any progress in my game ./Infection, and I am really, _really_ worrying about my community service deadline. If I don't gain seven more hours for credit, I can kiss graduation for this year goodbye. (And I would rather puke for three days than be held back). My attitudes sometimes influence my chapters, so I guess that explains why this particular one was so dark. In fact, did you know that when George Lucas wrote the screenplay for Stephen Spielberg's _Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom_, (movie two of the Indiana Jones trilogy) he was going through a divorce? (Explains why it was so (cough-god-awful-cough and) dark, now doesn't it?) In fact, _Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade_ (the third movie) was made as an "apology" to the fans. Heh-heh, sorry if that bored you. I just love film. (It's "so" great.) Anyway, I hope that this chapter has pleased some of you and… yeah. 


	4. Chapter 4: The Heirs of Darkness

**Author Note:** Okay, I've planned and completed this—but that's pretty much the general low-down. I forced myself to get off my ass and write (about Anzu for a change—sheesh, I _never _thought I would pull myself out of Shizuka-mode… God damn)—so here we are, the newest spank'n chapter of Before R.A. Project. So far, only three chapters of In Darkness's Grasp have been repaired—but I _am _working on it! Anyway, enjoy this chapter and um… _yeah…_ (attention averts to the television, where she is watching the dubbed version of "AKIRA"—one of the few decently dubbed animes out there—NOT referring to the original VHS dub) Ooh! Yamagata is so _GORGEOUS!_ … … Why does he have to die though? (anime teary eyes).

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Yu-Gi-Oh R, and now my last V-Jump has arrived and I'll never get another one again (sobs).

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**Plot: **- A Prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh R. - _After defeating Malik Ishtar, Mutou Yuugi and his mysterious counterpart have come out of the esteemed Battle City competition victorious. Now in possession of three Sen-Nen Items and the Genshin kaados (god cards)—things are looking pretty up. Until a dark shadow (invisible to their awareness) begins to lurk around them and their companions, targeting the one person they both can't deal without: Mazaki Anzu…_

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**Genre: **Angst/Romance/Horror/Suspense/Drama/Action Adventure

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**Pairings:**

Yuugi/Anzu  
Atem/Anzu  
Yakou/Anzu  
Gekkou/Anzu  
Otogi/Shizuka  
Honda/Shizuka  
Ryou/Shizuka

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**Warning:** Rated T (PG-13) (Parents Strongly Cautioned) For Sensuality, Cursing and Misdeed.

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_-Imperfect Paradise_ _(Yamiko) _

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Before R-A Project  
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By Imperfect Paradise

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**-Chapter Four-  
**"The Heirs of Darkness"

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Fingers tapped against the edge of the window sill, as Yakou Tenma stated to the company of his only audience, "We're close, my brother—I just _know _it!" 

"Well, don't be so sure," a nearly identical voice added from afar. "We still have to run the mock-trial, and if it turns out to be a failure, well—we can probably kiss the whole concept of this operation good-bye _and_ any chance of seeing Pegasus-sama again."

Hearing this, the blue tinted silver-haired late teen, frustratingly rolled his eyes and glanced over at the other end of the room, (a modernly designed lounge with a fire burning inside the crevice of the marble decorated wall) his eyes narrowing to a critical degree. The target of his inconsequential animosity appeared to be a near mirror-image of himself—a man who nearly matched his exact physical build-up perfectly, down to the very last strand of hair. Presently, the 'other Tenma' didn't seem to be aware of his double's hostility towards him. In fact, the genuinely handsome young man looked as though he were quite content, playing with an ordinary-seeming rubrics-cube, while leaning back comfortably on an imported leather sofa. Yakou took notice of this, and stiffened slightly, seemingly discouraged with his twin brother's methods of _entertaining himself._

_Hmph…_ How "pathetic"—his very own flesh and blood completely unaware of what he had concocted within the past two years of residing between the practical world and the lair of… possibilities. He had been told time and time again from his old master, (the man who he had worshipped beyond all imagination) that when dealing with your enemies and pawns, "ignorance" was "bliss," (and he somewhat believed in that idiom) but he could not see how sheer stupidity could help you when you needed every head available to aid you with your latest ideal. It was absolutely mind-boggling…

Nevertheless, as Yakou continued to stare bitterly at his "twin," Gekkou Tenma suddenly looked up (just after carefully and strategically aligning five reds on the same side, while also succeeding with arranging two blues) and asked, politely, "So… Have we found a donor yet?"

Yakou's eye-brows raised slightly. "Donor?" he asked, voice displaying some form of confusion.

Gekkou blinked for a moment, not quite understanding the meaning of his brother's uncertainty. Then, after a long pause, he leant forward and stated, slowly "… For _bringing back_ the _prototype… _Dear brother."

Another moment of silence lingered in the room for just a bit longer, as the younger Tenma twin processed this newly introduced information. Following this, he gradually put on an irritated look that appeared as if he was disappointed.

_Damn-it…_ Why was his brother so completely oblivious? _Heh_—it was almost sad that the sovereignty stated "perfect duelist" was entirely unaware of the concept of his own personal intentions. Shaking his head and smiling slightly (after all, it _was_ somewhat comical) Yakou chuckled quietly and mentally reassured himself. _Gekkou… _he thought, _My "dear" Gekkou…_ Then, putting on an optimistic smile, Yakou looked off to the side and stated, calmly, "We'll find someone—I'm sure…" He remained in his position for a moment longer, before he walked over nonchalantly to the other side of the room, before he stopped in front of a Victorian styled bookshelf and offhandedly withdrew a thick book entitled "Egyptian Mythology: A Inner Look at Gods and Demons Worshipped by the Upper Nile." While opening it up and flipping through the pages of the slightly worn book (looking for a certain divine entity) he murmured quietly, "If not—we'll just plug someone into the machine and let 'im rip…"

A second or two following Yakou's words, Gekkou's ears twitched slightly, hearing what his brother had just muttered. He blinked for a moment, before he slowly looked up, and gave his brother and inquisitive glance. Carefully setting the portable handheld game on to the side of a small, glass coffee table, he looked directly at his brother stated, cautiously, "Without the volunteer's consent? … Yakou; That's _illegal_…"

Yakou looked up from his book and stared at his older brother for a few moments. Following this action, a smirk slowly abducted his otherwise striking visage, before he looked away from his twin and back down at the book, which was opened on a page size image that displayed a man, clad in white with green skin and black hair. **(A/N 1)**

After basking in a moment of silence, and while finding this situation to be somewhat uncomfortable (after all, something about this situation just didn't feel right), Gekkou (deciding he'd rather change the subject instead of diving further into it, after all, he knew very well that his brother didn't like it when he remained on a discussion he obviously didn't want to talk about) averted his attention to another, _somewhat_ related matter. "Anyway," he began, a little bit of uneasiness clearly evident in his voice that disappeared as he continued on, "What news do we have on Yuugi Mutou? Have we found got any leads on him at the present time?"

Closing the book suddenly, (Gekkou jumping at this action) Yakou glanced back over at his brother, his eye-brows twitching madly as if Gekkou was irritating him in some way. He then began walking over towards what looked like a file cabinet, eventually stopping before it and slipping out a collection of three office envelopes, holding them firmly in his hand. Walking over to where Gekkou was sitting, he began to explain, "We have received Saruwatari's evident data regarding the people who had visited the Duelist Kingdom island back in September 1997—more specifically the ones who stayed inside the castle. They weren't registered duelists, but it has been confirmed that they were with Yuugi..." He then threw them down on the coffee table stationed, before Gekkou, and then proceeded to walk back over towards the window where he had once been standing before.

The minty-silver haired teen blinked for a moment, but then leant over and reached for the first of the vanilla envelope files. Beginning to flip through the contents, his eyes quickly scanned over the information printed on the data cards, all which bore the names of Honda Hiroto, Bakura Ryou, Mazaki Anzu and Jounouchi Katsuya. Not taking his eyes off them, Gekkou narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, kind of dreading the answer, "So… Which one is your best-bet at this time…?"

"It's to be decided… Pretty much, they're all a go at this point—well… Save for Jounouchi Katsuya, that is."

Gekkou heard this and suddenly looked up, raising a single eyebrow in response to Yakou's latest statement. He then began, a dose of uncertainty in his voice, "Yakou—are you alright?"

His brother didn't say anything.

Gekkou continued staring at him, before he continued on with his question, "You are talking like you actually know these people… While I do understand that you have their age, gender, citizenship numbers, duelist level and parental time lines, I—I really don't think that just _going over_ these contents gives you the right to justify anything you _think _you might know about them…"

Yakou chuckled slightly (man, his brother just really didn't have a clue, now didn't he?), before he stated, in an arrogant tone. "Don't worry about it…" After a fraction of a minute of staring outside at the city of Domino, Yakou suddenly turned around, revealing a devious smile that almost made Gekkou shiver in his seat. He began darkly, "Well, unlike a slow mover like you, dear Nii-san," (Gekkou narrowed his eyes slightly and growled in annoyance) "I have already gotten the means of getting close to this group of selfish and insensitive brats…"

Hearing this, the older twin's eyes widened to an evident degree. _What, _he thought. _How can that…_ Then, suddenly leaning towards his brother (his interest obviously piqued) he asked, with an expression that kind of doubted the word of his brother, "Might I inquire how you managed to _do _that, and within a situation given your spare time?"

Yakou laughed once, before he walked back over and sat down besides Gekkou on the futon, letting out a long extended sigh. Leaning back and closing his eyes, giving off a sort of relaxed expression, he began to explain slowly, yet with a tone not devoid of his personal _glee,_ "Well, rather than deciding to meet the group of fools and infiltrate their daily life myself, I have to decided to function and operate outside their company, using one of their very own members to do my dirty work…"

Gekkou heard this and stared at him for a moment. Staring intensely at him, he leant forward slightly and asked, "How… How did you do it?"

Yakou leant forward and reached for the third file from the collection of documents. Taking it in his hand, and waving it once in a partial circular like motion, he stated, sadistically, "Part one of phase has been initiated, all by meeting and interacting with this lovely, young lady…" He then tossed the file into his brother's lap (Gekkou blinked for a moment at this suddenly initiated action) who responded immediately by reaching down and picking the document up, quickly reorganizing it on the tops of his knees. Opening up the contents of Mazaki Anzu's file and gently withdrawing her photograph, he stared at her for a moment, his eye-brows raising slightly… He then chuckled slightly, and shook his head, stating softly, "My, my, my…" He continued staring with some form of delight at the smiling girl in the picture, who seemed as if she were completely oblivious to what was going on. After staring at her digital photograph for a quarter of a minute, Gekkou suddenly looked back up at his younger brother and asked, "And when exactly are you planning to encounter her?"

Frowning slightly, Yakou, shifted his weight and explained sharply, "I told you already you fool, that I have already taken the liberty to _meet_ her… Have you gone deaf, dear brother?"

Hearing this, Gekkou suddenly frowned and then lowered the document regarding Yakou's latest victim to the point where he could look completely at his brother. Staring accusingly at his blood-double, Gekkou stated shortly (heh, two could play _this_ game), "Aren't you moving just a little bit too fast? Come now, Yakou; at the rate you're going, don't you think that the girl will suspect you? After all, the last thing we want to is to abort this operation, right?" **(A/N 2)**

"Don't be stupid," Yakou snapped sharply. Relaxing just a little bit more, and while placing his hands on his hips, he drawled reassuringly, "I'm taking this very slowly dear brother. Slower than I would like too, yes, but don't fret;" he suddenly sneered, "I'll have the little bitch eating from the palm of my hand in about a month or so…" He then walked back over towards the window, laughing spitefully, leaving Gekkou to chew on this new bit of news. Following that, Gekkou looked slowly down at the photograph, and stared at it as if he had with some form of light sympathy. Regarding it for a moment, he shook his head slightly just before saying, "I just don't think it's right though."

Hearing this, Tenma Yakou abruptly stopped in his tracks. Then, turning his body slightly around and snapping his gaze towards Gekkou, he demanded darkly, "What?"

Gekkou set the file back down on the table and murmured after closing his eyes and sighing slightly, "To lie to such an innocent girl…"

Yakou looked at his brother for another moment while stiffening at his Gekkou's sudden display of compassion. Then, after a moment or two, (his morals and principles returning to him) a malevolent sneer came up and abducted the prime of his face. He then looked off to the side, and said viciously, "And that is why those idiots will never know what hit them…"

Silence drifted through the room again, now more uncomfortable than it had ever been before. Then afterwards, Gekkou finally stood up off the couch and muttered with an uncompassionate tone, "Whatever you say, Yakou…" He then turned around and began walking across the room, eventually stopping before what appeared to be a small set of stairs, which lead to the second floor of their high-priced, rental apartment. "Anyway," he began, while in the midst of trying to conceal a yawn, "I have a document to send to Industrial Illusions, so I better write it before I get too tired. See you in the morning, brother." With that, he completely turned his back towards his younger brother, and without another word, began to ascend the steps, Yakou watching intensely as his brother vanished from view.

After hearing the sound of a door opening and closing, (indicating his brother was out of range) Yakou suddenly frowned (with a foreboding air to his expression) and regarded the spot contemptuously from where his brother had disappeared. _That simplistic idiot…_ he thought bitterly, while clenching his fist tightly.

True as his word, sometimes, it really amazed Yakou that his older (and his _superior_) brother was completely unaware of what he was actually planning. Then again, perhaps that little complication was what finally gave Yakou the advantage against his seemingly flawless sibling. Either way, however, Gekkou was still nothing but a stumbling stone at this point.

Anyway, deciding to put the unpleasantness of his family's lack of knowledge away for the time being, he let out an extended sigh and reached for a fold-up cell-phone, which had been perched on the bottom of his turtle neck pocket. After opening it up and dialing in a certain familiar number, he waited patiently before the other line came into contact. "Croquet?" he stated.

"Yes, Tenma-sama?" the man on the other end of the phone answered obediently.

Yakou ran a hand through the bangs of his forehead, before he asked irritably (believing the fact that he probably already knew the answer already), "Has the distribution of my previous notion begun yet?"

"Yes sir—it has begun as you've instructed, however—"

Yup. He guess had been accurate after all. Still, that didn't mean anything yet.

Hearing this abrupt change in his servant's words, Yakou lowered his brows, his eyes glinting with an unknown light. "Yes…?" he inquired with a severely dark tone surrounding the body of his voice.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, accompanied by the sound of ragged breathing, before—

"… … Sir… Are you absolutely _positive_ that you wish to go through with your plans? You know very well that the late master wasn't too fond of your idea when your first presented it to the council—have you ever considered that there could have been a particular reason as to why it was denied in the first place?"

Yakou closed his eyes for a moment, (damn! why was everyone who defiant against him) as if he were actually considering what his man-servant had said, before he abruptly opened them up again and explained, curtly, "That was over three years ago, you fool. You know, Croquet—" he narrowed his eyes and shifted his weight to the other foot, "I am kind of disappointed in you; You have worked for Industrial Illusions since it's entrance to the world was made public, you have been of great assistance to it's founder _and_ myself, nevertheless; with this newly administered hesitation you are displaying, I must be frank—I am most certainly contemplating of possibly terminating your reign of loyal service to this company, which has been, _quite honestly—" _he added haughtily, "—only a mediocre time-line of only eight years…"

There was a dead-panned silence on the other line, as if the man was milking up this information with a mixture of nausea and trepidation. Yakou smirked, (as if something like this gave him some small faint form of pleasure) before he continued on with his little speech, "Now Christopher, I advise that you carefully think over the fact about where your loyalties actually stand, and how they will suit the ideals of the late master's company at the present time. If you fail to succeed in the way that I have anticipated, you can find yourself out the door without a job. Is that clear?" **(A/N 3)**

There was another extended pause on the other line. Then, after a little less than an entire minute, Croquet answered, "Y-Yes… Understood sir."

Yakou smiled triumphantly. "Excellent—now continue to proceed with your own personal duties…" **(A/N 4)**

With that, he hung up the cell-phone, and shortly afterwards, tossed it onto the futon to the spot where his brother had previously been sitting. He then walked back over to the window again and stared out at the world before him. Looking down at the neighborhood with an expression that only a malcontent could have, he suddenly caught eye of a group of people crowded besides the building adjacent to theirs. Said group was apparently comprised of one, run-of-the-mill business man who was being assaulted by a group of hostile, college-aged miscreants (the rest of the group—or rather, the _herd, _as Yakou saw fit to see it as), who were kicking and punching the poor man all over the alley-way, without a care to what was going through the man's mind. Yakou merely wrinkled his nose and while shaking his head, hissed to himself, "Disgusting _pigs…"_

True, he didn't give a rat's ass about the man on the ground, the event still reminded him of the unpleasant detail that he now had to put up with.

He would have to attend that God-Awful school tomorrow. While yes, he could make it out alive from that Hell-Hole (he had the best education alive when dealing with matters such as _those_) but the mere fact that he had to interact with the lower level of society and put up with their slob-like, vile and otherwise aggressive nature wasn't exactly easy for him to accept. Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he thought about the moronic bastard who was responsible for putting him in that shit-box in the first place and wondered where that idiot was now.

Still, as irritating at this situation was, he had _work _to do…

After causally treading over towards the coffee table (where Gekkou had soundly left the duelist files before he went up to work), he leant forward and reached for the document of Mazaki Anzu's, taking it firmly within his hand. He flipped through the contents, eventually finding her photograph, and extracted it from the vanilla envelope. He regarded it briefly, his eyes flashing with that same demonic light.

"See you tomorrow," he suddenly sneered, "Anzu-_chan…_"

With that, he unsympathetically tossed the picture into the fire-place, before heading over towards the same stairway, proceeding up to reclaim his much-desired and needed rest. The photograph remained in the hearth, the slowly dying flames proceeded to burn the paper, feeding off the visage of Anzu, who was unbeknownst to the pain she would soon experience…

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With the end of the infamous Battle City tournament, Domino City had once again returned to it's normal state. Businessmen were once again going about with their day-to-day dealings, premature teenagers were once more trying to fit in with the hip of the new generation, all of them blending with a variety of other different kinds of people who saw it fit to finally proceed with their daily lives, without having to worry about those strange people with those unusual contraptions snapped against their wrists. 

Despite the people's regained comfort, however, Battle City had still left it's mark in _some_ way, for there were still card players hanging around the streets, some bitter and some content, and _they _saw it fit to continue to proceed with their own banes of existence.

And so, Anzu sipped from the straw of her root beer, listening along with Shizuka (who stared unusually at their source of attention, while at the same time, _trying_ to be as polite as she could) as Mai prattled on about her newly anticipated tournament (one being held in America—Mai would leave the following Monday), which also included such trivial questions such as "which cards should she use," "what kind of deck should she construct," and many other questions that needed answers that which neither Shizuka nor Anzu could give. They found it kind of strange, for Mai to enter a tournament just days after completing the last one—but then again, it was kind of hard to understand duelists (Yuugi and Jounouchi included), so perhaps the answer was much more beyond their reach than they thought.

This subject dragged on for a few more minutes (Anzu and Shizuka's minds beginning to drift to other matters they were hoping to discuss on this "girl's day-out"), but eventually, Mai suddenly inhaled sharply (as if talking constantly about her own personal matters had finally taken their toll) before she paused for a moment, and just as instantly looked back at the two high-school aged girls and smirked seductively.

"Anyway," she added, "Other than that—"

Shizuka and Anzu blinked for a moment, inwardly thankful that Mai finally decided to change the subject, yet were still unknowing to what Mai was getting at this time.

"First off, you two are aware that Kaiba Corporation made sure that Battle City was broad-casted internationally, weren't you?"

Anzu narrowed her eyes, and while folding her arms across her chest murmured, "Well, duh…"

Shizuka persisted innocently, "I wasn't."

"Sure you were; anyway," Mai continued on, "Thanks to that, Yuugi's success is _all over _the media—at not _just_ on television!"

Hearing this, Shizuka and Anzu both looked at their tall, blonde friend. Mai (her eyes flashing for a single second) beamed, before reaching into her handbag, eventually pulling out what appeared to be a "_Young_ _Vigilant Lady's Magazine,_" causing both Shizuka and Anzu's eye's widening to some degree. Mai held up the magazine, and while tapping on the cover, stated all-knowingly, "Check this out—" There, on the front cover, bore the title for the main article, which stated in bright big pink letters, "_The Most Attractive and Single Hunks of the Year_."

Shizuka's jaw dropped slightly, and Anzu breathed, "No Way…"

Mai chuckled lightly for a moment, before she explained, " So, in other words, "ladies"—_you two_—have already gotten first glance, and possibly first _dibs_, on the people whom in which most celebrity magazines are saying are the Sexiest men in the word!"

Anzu stated bluntly without thinkingm, "You're _bluffing!"_

"Oh really…" Mai took the subscribed material in both hands and opened the magazine, flipping through the pages until she came straight to the editorial, both Shizuka and Anzu learning in to see.

As they regarded the magazine, Anzu's eyes scanned the page, until Mai suddenly pointed towards the very top of the list and cooed, "Hail the _almighty_ King!"

Anzu blinked for a moment, before she looked at the very top, and almost immediately found herself thunderstruck.

_There_—on the number one rank box, was none other than her friend and companion, (or rather his other half) who was smiling rather charmingly in the photograph. As Anzu continued to stare at him, not believing it to be so, Mai (who had gotten bored at staring at Yuugi's photograph in such a quick time, or so it seemed) then moved her finger downward and added, "And look-y here! Good ol' Kaiba ranked second… Bet the looser's love'n that…"

Anzu (managing to pry herself away from Yuugi's photograph) heard what Mai had to say and merely rolled her eyes. She then stated, snootily, "Yeah right, Mai… You know, I'm willing to bet that even if that asshole was _halfway_ into something like this, that it would only infuriate him. Furthermore, that only goes as long as he is even _interested _in the opposite sex."

Mai looked up at Anzu, and blinked for a moment. "So…" she started, sounding somewhat confused, "He's _gay?"_

Anzu snorted and insisted, "I didn't say _that,_ I'm just saying—"

"Ooh!" Shizuka chimed in, "Bakura-san got number four!"

Anzu and Mai suddenly looked away from each other, in order to look back down at the magazine, and noticed Bakura (who was actually in his normal form) presenting a kind and seemingly gentle smile.

Staring at it for a moment, Anzu suddenly smiled and stated, thoughtfully, "Well if anyone deserves decent recognition from the quarter-finals, it's definitely Ryou… I mean, he went through a lot of grief for the prime of the tournament…"

Mai heard this and suddenly frowned. After all, her experience after her duel wasn't the best either. Snatching the magazine away from Anzu's grasp, she hissed, "What am I? Chopped liver?"

Before Anzu could initiate any kind of response, Shizuka abruptly asked, "Who ranked number three?"

Mai (after grumbling something rather unpleasant for both Anzu and Shizuka to hear) suddenly looked over at Shizuka, before looking down at the magazine once again and stated shortly, "That would be Malik."

A silence suddenly made itself present, but it didn't last very long as Anzu stated, doubtingly, but with some form of shock, "_What?_ Let me see that picture!" She then tore the magazine away from Mai (who shouted annoyingly "Hey!") and scanned through text before she found the picture of the young Egyptian duelist. After staring at the atrocity that had been against everything that was sane and normal in the world (the expression displaying the most perverted and terrifying smile known to this Earth) her nose wrinkled as she commented in a self-aggrandizing way, "Yeah right—like that vein covered psychopathic freak is at all attractive!"

Shizuka stated innocently, "Well, maybe they meant to photograph his normal form. I mean—the guy was only evil for three quarters of the tournament, right? Perhaps they just missed out on all the opportunities to photograph him while he was in his real state of mind?"

Mai waved her hand through the air and said sardonically, "_Nahhhh,_ I bet the article specifically showed that picture in order to appeal to all of those sexually active girls out there." Looking to the side, she glared as he muttered, "They must think that people 'll buy anything…"

Shizuka then asked, "Was anyone else mentioned?"

Mai looked back at Shizuka and began, "Well—those were the only people mentioned from Battle City." Closing the magazine and stuffing it back into her bag, she explained, "The rest of the article just goes to sport celebrities, leading young male actors, and a few music artists. In other words, people who we couldn't care less about…"

Anzu smirked slightly, and while nudging Shizuka in the shoulder, stated slyly in a sing-song voice, "Better not tell Jounouchi that, Shizuka…"

Shizuka smiled nervously, but then reassured her, "Don't worry, Anzu-san. My lips are sealed!"

The trio then laughed together in unison, before they proceeded over to the Domino City Mall, (they had caught wind of some major sale) unbeknownst to the shadowed figure who was following them slowly from a somewhat far distance…

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- TO BE CONTINUED -

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The following is _not_ meant to be counter fanfictionDOTnet format. These are merely author notes. They are not meant to counteract the rules or restrictions of the webmaster's policies in anyway. Thank you for your attention.

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**Author Note 1 –** The book is showing Osiris—the king of the Egyptian underworld. Colors that represent him, are green, black and white (his skin, hair and clothes) which represent fertility and "life." (has no idea where the "blood-red" concept came from) Anyway, I thought I'd just throw that random fact in. Thanks.

**Author Note 2 – **Yes, I am aware that this is not like Gekkou at all. After all, it takes an amazing amount of courage to stand against your brother like that (referring to the original comic). The reason as to why Gekkou is acting so differently at this point, is because he quite literally has no idea about what exactly he is getting himself into. He doesn't know the true process of the RA project, and only thinks that Yakou is doing this only to get revenge on Yuugi. That will change when we reach the peek of the rising action, or possibly the climax.

**Author Note 3 –** I have no idea what Croquet's first name is (if in the event he actually _has_ one)—so I just named him Christopher (I actually picked that up from a rather decent puppyshipping fic, which, I unfortunately forgot the name of—(sheepish grin) ah-heh-heh-heh). So anyway, I would appreciate it if you didn't chastise me for that.

**Author Note 4 – **In case that last scene was confusing, Yakou was referring to the production of his "Evil God Cards" or the Jaa (wicked/evil/dark) Shin (divine beings/gods) kaados. Also, did any of you catch the sentence referring to a donor and a prototype? That was referring to the rebirth of Bandit Keith, who actually died in Yu-Gi-Oh vol. 15 (for those who have read the manga—Pegasus put a Yami no Gamu induced bullet through his skull). Anyway, Keith Howard was the subject of the first test of the infamous R.A. Project ("Rebirth" of "Avatar."), which is the process that will hopefully revive Pegasus J. Crawford. Anyway, for those who are utterly confused with these notes—I really suggest that you get some information on Yu-Gi-Oh R before reading this story. It isn't that hard—I have two links on my profile that "should" help.

**Author Note 5 – **Not a real magazine (at least not to "my" knowledge)

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**Random Note: **Kay. There's the fourth chapter. I would say more… but I really want to post this as soon as possible. Reasons why is because my sister (who's home from UCSB) wants to access the computer for some _Daily Show_ clips. I swear to God, she has a major crush on John Stewart—pity he's married! (laughs mockingly—from the latter, Yamiko obviously isn't too fond of her sister, at least not at the moment—heck, it was a miracle I managed to survive Europe with her). Anyway, please review and I hope you find this to be at least somewhat entertaining. Cheerio! 


	5. Chapter 5: Within My Eyes

**Author Note:** You know what's really weird? Seeing an actor who was once cast as the benevolent, cultured and otherwise righteous Gandalf in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King film, play someone as heartless or insane as Magneto in X-MEN: The Last Stand. It's weird—but it's thanks to people like them—that Hollywood is so kick-ass awesome. I mean, Sir Ian McKellen can play multiple types of roles, which is becoming a rarer talent among actors all the time. I mean today, you mainly just see actors who are accustomed to playing the same role, over and over again… Like Adam Sandler, for example—I think he's funny and a first-class comedian (personally loved Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore and really wants to see Click) but I just can't see him casting for any other type of role. Oh yeah… My bad. This is fanfictionDOTnet. You don't care about film. Anyway… "Enjoy." (Sad—she ranted on about film for fifteen minutes—and then only added like, two sentences for fiction related news—sigh)**  
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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Yu-Gi-Oh R, and life is just "dandy" without waiting for my V-Jumps. (resists enormous impulse to steal her mother's pay-pall password and order another six, maybe twelve issues) Sigh…

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**Plot:** - A Prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh R. - After defeating Malik Ishtar, Mutou Yuugi and his mysterious counterpart have come out of the esteemed Battle City competition victorious. Now in possession of three Sen-Nen Items and the Genshin kaados (god cards)—things are looking pretty up. Until a dark shadow (invisible to their awareness) begins to lurk around them and their companions, targeting the one person they both can't deal without: Mazaki Anzu…

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**Genre:** Angst/Romance/Horror/Suspense/Drama/Action Adventure

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**Pairings:**

Yuugi/Anzu  
Atem/Anzu  
Yakou/Anzu  
Gekkou/Anzu  
Otogi/Shizuka  
Honda/Shizuka  
Ryou/Shizuka

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**Warning:** Rated T (PG-13) (Parents Strongly Cautioned) For Sensuality, Cursing and Misdeed.

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_-Imperfect Paradise (Yamiko)

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Before R-A Project  
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By Imperfect Paradise

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**-Chapter Five-**  
"Within My Eyes"

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As the three girls continued down the sidewalk hugging the street of downtown Domino, a fair-sized figure was moving his way towards them, trying his best to avoid detection. Quietly moving through the crowds of people, his eyes were locked on his intended target, wanting more than anything to get to her. After all, he had much to lose if this went array, and the slightest misunderstanding could cost him everything he could ever dream of. 

Almost there, he thought, reaching the point where he was about five feet away. Now all I have to do is—

Nevertheless, what the figure hadn't factored in was that his "target"—having gone through her life in darkness for such a long period of time—would catch on to his presence without much difficultly. Hearing the sound of familiar squeaking sneakers, Shizuka turned around to face her stalker, meeting him directly in the eye.

Recognizing him in a flash, she blinked for a moment, before a genuine smile came and abducted her features. "Oh," she chirped, friendliness (as always) lacing the outline of her tone, "Hello Bakura-san."

Realizing that he had been caught dead in his efforts to make contact with the young auburn haired girl, the now panic-stricken Ryou Bakura froze instantly, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end in spite of himself. As for Anzu and Mai, having taking notice of the fact that one of their own had broken away from them (and for the cause of a familiar subject, none the less) the two of them stopped in their tracks and turned around, facing the young duelist. Instantly registering the identity of their previous stalker, Anzu smiled brightly and commented, "Oh my gosh. Bakura, what are you doing out at this part of town?"

Bakura made a small attempt to crack a smile (while in the darker corners of his mind, he contemplated over how this situation could have possibly gone so array without him even realizing it), and soon felt an unwelcome lump build itself up inside both his throat and stomach. Trying his best not to look at Shizuka, his eyes darted between the three girls as he tried to think of a suitable excuse.

Crap… what could have possibly possessed him to follow Shizuka Kawai on a public street while in the company of two of her most treasured friends? All he had done that day was stop by a nearby coffee shop, hoping to get a small sized tea, when he had just happened to glance over at the window and see the young, aspiring beauty walk right past him. It was almost surreal. Seeing Shizuka there, with her radiantly beautiful fire-tinted hair, her angelic skin and her gentle voice, all ensnaring him like a lure on a fishing-line. That didn't matter though… Not at the present time, anyway. What mattered was the fact that he had been stupid enough to follow her and was stupider still for not coming up with an alibi to explain his erm… _questionable_ actions if in the event something like this had ever happened.

"Uhm… Bakura-san?" Shizuka asked, staring at him oddly. "Are you okay?"

Bakura had little time to reflect on the sympathy being cast at him. Instead, he chose to think about all that could and most likely will go wrong if he stuck around any longer. If he lied, there was the possibility for suspicion from her and her peers that could lead to further or potential problems. _Heh_, wouldn't his dark half love it if he had the chance to manipulate his friends and lead them into a more serious situation. God, he could see it now; his dark half taking over any second and leading them away to a secluded area and restraining them, refusing to let them go without the promise that Yuugi would duel him—and that was something that someone in his position couldn't afford to let happen.

Then there was telling the truth.

_Sweet- "_Christ"—that one (although it was probably the most frank thing he could do at this point) was even worse. If he had let loose that he had uncontainable feelings for the youngest member of their party, there were a number of bad things that could happen. For starters, Shizuka would probably laugh at him, and the chances of Mai and Anzu doing the same were almost a guarantee (Man, who was it again that brought up the observation that girls travel in packs? Whoever he was, he was _right_!) Then there was what would happen next. Obviously, the news would travel—to Yuugi, Honda, Otogi (the previous two were bad enough) but he was quite sure that the person who would probably get negatively hyped up would be none other than Shizuka's dearest brother; Jounouchi Katsuya. Although Jounouchi was oblivious and probably wouldn't notice in any other case, Bakura's chances were still quite slim in evading the wrath of Shizuka eldest sibling, all because of the fact that one of the members (whom he had the luck of meeting in response to his mindless, puppy-loved trance) was probably the most gossipy of the three girls. Glancing at the woman for a brief moment (Mai's eyebrow raising in response) he began to juggle his options as quick as he could.

Realizing instantly that whatever game plan he had before was absolute not worth it, Bakura cringed for a moment, before he screamed out the words, _"Got-ta go!"_ and bolted in the opposite direction, not giving his confused audience a second thought.

For the longest times, no one said a word. But after a few seconds following this, Shizuka asked, not really caring if it was answered or not, "What just _happened_ there?"

Anzu answered mindlessly, "No clue."

Hearing an extended sigh coming from behind them, Anzu and Shizuka cocked their heads backwards, just in time to see Mai reach up and run a hand through the front of her golden locks. "Typical…" she murmured, looking somewhat put out. Then glancing over in Bakura's direction, she stated ingenuously, "I always knew that I was attractive and all, but it's actually somewhat disgraceful if someone eight years younger than me is in possession of such provocative thoughts."

Hearing this Anzu leaned in Mai's direction and asked, inquisitively, "Come again?"

Placing her hands on her hips, Mai leaned towards Anzu and Shizuka and began, "Face it, Hon—you saw the way he looked at me before he ran off. I suppose he just couldn't handle it. In the long run, he's better off—I mean, I wouldn't associate myself with minors in that perspective anyway, but still." **(A/N 1)**

Looking off in the direction Bakura ran off, Shizuka blinked for a moment, before commenting, "…I guess so."

Throughout the course of what remained of the afternoon, the trio continued walking through the assortments of shops and firms, the event of Bakura having been completely dismissed from their minds within no less that fifteen minutes. At one point, the group of girls were unfortunate enough to come across a COACH store outlet, and Mai immediately dragged Shizuka and Anzu into the American shopping chain, forcing them to watch as she tried on several shoes and sampled several different tints of makeup. By the time they left, Mai was carrying a few handbags with Shizuka assisting her (who, which didn't have much choice there), looking only relieved to have finally left the premises. Nevertehless, as the party continued onwards, Anzu walked slowly and quietly, her attention having diverted from the physical world to another one of similar consequence. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that Mai and Shizuka had paused behind her because _someone_ had tripped over one of the bags she was carrying. But even as Mai shrieked and cursed (the poor auburn haired girl quivering, wide-eyed at the sight of the dominating blonde) in the background (getting almost everyone's attention in the mall), it was still not enough to rouse Anzu from her not-so-comfortable rapture.

It was strange. From what had seemed like the entire day Yuugi had been avoiding her completely. Then again, shopping for conventional female products wasn't his type of thing at all anyway, but that hadn't stopped him from coming on previous excursions with her before. Moreover, it wasn't because he was with Honda and Jounouchi, because from last she heard, they were still making up detention hours that stretched out before Battle City and even before Duelist Kingdom (Anzu rolled her eyes). But when they were at school, he had just sat at his desk, staring into open space, not saying anything. During the study break, he hadn't brought out any kind of a game or collectible (which seemed to be almost a trademark of his at times), and from the scheme of things (or so it looked), it appeared as if he hadn't even "packed" one. And when school adjourned, he had just grabbed his bag and left the second the bell had wrung, not saying another word.

This worried Anzu for many reasons. Where was the genuine smile Yuugi had? Why hadn't he packed his deck, capsule monster tokens or even something as basic as a set of traditional cards? Seriously, what could possibly have happened to him?

Then again, it wasn't as if Yuugi was immune to _trouble_. For he had had many shares with dealings in major thugs such as Ushio, Sozoji, Inogashira and others that had been crafted into the course of his life. Was that the reason? Was he being picked on by one of those thugs again? But if that was the case, then…

…Well, she could certainly rule out Ushio; the lousy, near-homicidal lunatic had been transferred to a high school down south for students with "special needs," as his mind had been transformed into a near schizophrenic state (even to this day, Anzu "still" didn't know why he had thought her school pin was a one-hundred yen piece). Sozoji had graduated the other year and was now working at a karaoke bar under a different name (why, she didn't know). And Inogashira? Well… Even after _three years_ of being hospitalized before the school carnival due to major burns and scarred facial tissue, the fact remained that the sorry bastard _still_ hadn't woken up. So, what was left to conclude about the strange emotional changes in her most cherished friend?

Still, she had little time to reflect on it, when a pale hand reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"So; we meet again, Anzu-_chan…_"

Anzu shrieked and after jumping slightly, she spun around to face a pair of two familiar silver-colored irises, accompanied with what seemed like a complacent smirk.

"_You!"_ she spat out unintentionally. But after recoiling from the sudden action, (and realizing the error of what she just did, and in front of someone else) she suddenly stated quickly, at a rather fast pace, "That is, uh—_Tenma!_ I mean, Tenma_-san_… I-I didn't notice you there."

Letting a few seconds pass by, the silver haired boy put on a genuine smile (as if he understood her panic) and after cocking his head to the side, stated in what seemed like a kind sounding voice, "Sorry about that. I really didn't mean to frighten you… I suppose it's just a bad habit or something of the sort."

Anzu stared at him for a few moments (briefly thinking how what seemed so similar to stalking could possibly be considered or classified as "a bad habit," which was already kind of creepy along side with the evidently cultured and unusually attributed-"Mr. Nice-guy" voice) but then realized how awkward this situation might be for anyone passing by. Forcing a small smile on her face, she slowly said (being careful not to spit it out in a blurting like motion) the first response that came to mind, "Yeah, uhm… … … … It's _okay…_ … I _guess_."

Letting out a brief tender laugh, Tenma looked around and asked, "It's so nice to see you again, Anzu, but what are you doing in this part of town? Isn't school still in session?"

Anzu answered, while averting her attention to the ground giving off an almost uncomfortable look (she _still _didn't like how this kid—if he _was_ one —was looking at her), "Well… Today is the teacher's meeting schedule, so our timing was altered slightly. In response, we all got out a few hours early…"

After saying, something immediately came to Anzu's attention. Looking back out at the silver-haired boy, she asked, suspicion clearly evident in her tone, "What about _you?_ Doesn't Rintama have a different schedule?"

For about three seconds, the silver-haired boy didn't speak. But then, slightly looking off to the side , Tenma sighed wistfully (looking like he was dreading something) before looking back at her and explaining, "First off, I_ apologize_; for I know what I am going to tell you doesn't seem _normal_ even in the slightest. Pretty much, the story is that a third year—who I suspect was _probably _under the influence of, err… non-_friendly_ chemicals—somehow got the idea that it would be quite _corking_ to set fire to one of the front-row desks in my second period class. So…" (he smirked slightly) we were let out early while the teachers tried to resolve the matter."

For about three moments, Anzu stared, slack-jawed, surprised that a student could talk so casually about something so… severely _screwed _up. Then, collecting herself, she asked, "But if something like that happened, wouldn't the teachers want to question some of the witnesses? You were there, weren't you? I mean, _right there_ when it happened? Why didn't they ask you asking?"

Reaching back to scratch the rear of his head, Tenma cast his glance slightly to the left, explaining thoughtfully, "Well… I don't really know, to tell you the truth. But if I was a betting man, I suppose it might have something to do with the budget cuts they recently had on the campus security department."

"… … … … Yuh- _huhhhhh…" _

Smirking slightly, the Rintama student shifted his weight casually and asked pleasantly, "Making the most of your time?"

Anzu nodded, and explained, "Yeah, I guess…"

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

Beginning to become a little freaked out and even somewhat terrified with the direction that this little conversation was going, Anzu opened her mouth to complain, but was cut short with—

"_Hey, Anzu-sweetie!" _Mai called out from about twenty feet away. _"There's a "great" sale at EXPRESS; Twenty-five percent off your third pair on designer jeans! Can you lend me a buck or two?"_ **(A/N 2)**

After this sudden jolt of reality that sent her back to her previous affairs, Anzu (realizing what Mai was implying and at that, adjusting to it almost instantly in a negative way) yelled hoarsely back, " _Are you "kidding" me? After "all" that money you blew on that professional imitation diamond encrusted purse"_ (hearing this dose of information, Tenma's face instantly converted into a somewhat off-balance expression) "_you still want to buy something else? Can't you just be satisfied?-!" _

From afar, Mai cocked her head to the side, and whined, "Come _on_ Anzu—be a dear for me for just this _one_ time and I'll buy you a chocolate sundae afterwards!" She then turned heal and walked back into the designer clothes retailer, while Anzu let out an irritated sounding groan on the sidelines. She then looked back at Tenma, and explained, "I'm sorry, but this really isn't a good time. Maybe we can arrange something in the future, but…"

The silver-haired boy sighed and while shaking her off, stated, "Nahhh, It's alright. I should probably be going anyway; I _do_ have homework, after all."

He then turned to walk away, leaving Anzu standing there (who was presently undergoing self-denial for her asking to meet him again), staring gawk-eyed at his departing form. Nevertheless, he didn't take any more than a few strides before stopping. Anzu stiffened slightly as he began, "As for your proposal," he turned around to look at her directly in the eye, and smiling slightly, "I'd_ like_ something like that… See you around, I guess." With that, he turned the corner, letting Anzu trudge on off after Mai, looking completely and totally irked…

As he continued walking in the opposite direction, the boy's eyes suddenly cocked back towards the mall, making sure that he had reacched the point where he couldn't see it anymore. After getting to that point, and also being careful to ensure that he was a safe distance away from ear-shot of anyone who might have been watching, the eldest Tenma brother reached for his breast uniform pocket and pulled out a cellular phone. After dialing memory one and brining the communication device into its proper position, he waited patiently for the other end to pick up. Without going through even three rings, a click sounded, followed by a disgruntled sounding voice (but identical to his), which instantly came through from the other end.

"What it is it?-!" the voice barked, rudely.

Smirking slightly from his brother's grumpy attitude, Gekkou smirked and informed his younger twin, "I met the girl …"

"… … _And? …"_

Taking one last glance to see if wasn't being watched, Gekkou then turned his back to the street, brought the phone closer to him and asked, "Do you really think that this girl is going to be eligible enough to get us inside news on the Duel King's status? Why not just hire a spy to observe him directly?"

"Of course I'm sure. That brat has known Yuugi Mutou for almost her entire life. She'll give us everything we need without further pulling funding from our master's namesake. In short, it's a guarantee. So you better get used to it!"

"Still, it seems like the young women doesn't trust you very much," the perfect duelist commented frankly. "In fact_," _he murmured quietly to himself. "Seemed like she was almost terrified of me…"

"What was that?"

Hearing another question from his brother (and yet another that made him feel severely uncomfortable) Gekkou quickly added, "It's nothing; don't you worry about it." Then deciding to change the flow of the conversation (and also wanting to see what would become of it), the older Tenma suddenly put on a grin and asked merrily, " So anyway—how's life at _hell-high?_ Did you remember to check if the office found heads or tails of the whereabouts of your missing pager?"

An irritated growl was heard from the other line. "Don't _patronize _me, dear brother," Yakou spat menacingly. "Which reminds me; what excuse did you give her?"

Gekkou put on a happy smile and responded, in a bright and cheerful voice, "By innovating an epic conflict involving the ignorance of a pyromaniac and a high school professor's utmost malevolence."

A disappointed groan sounded, before Yakou confessed in bitter voice (with just the slightest shade of self-pity), "Wish something like that _would _happen—and least in one of _my _classes" (Gekkou snickered a little bit)"—it would just give me so much more time. Anyway," (Yakou suddenly snapped, making Gekkou twitch slightly in response) "Continue to follow and observe her. I want to know everything about her, her friends, her acquaintances, her family, and even her freaking cousins if she them."

Hearing this, Gekkou's face suddenly fell. "Wha?" he asked, unintentionally, sounding somewhat confused. After recollecting himself and taking the liberty to re-grip his cell-phone, he asked into the speaker part, trying to take every precaution to understand what his twin was getting at, "Wait just a minute, Yakou—I thought we were only doing this for the sake of inside information on Yuugi. Would good would it do to know about—"

"_Listen_ to me, dip-shit—right now, your job is just to _stand in_ for me and do what _I _would do you in _my_ stead! And what _I _want, right now- at this _very_ moment- is _hard-core_ data about everything revolving around that senseless _twit_ and by _God_—you are going to give me info on every day of her life whether you _like_ it or _not!_ Now get- _off _your sorry ass and _do it!"_

* * *

Slapping his cell-phone shut, Yakou heaved his briefcase off his desk and stormed out of the class-room, kicking the waste-basket which stood besides the door, not giving a crap on what anyone else might have thought (Hey, in _this _school, who would have anyway?).

In truth, his last class had ended just a moment ago, and he was _pissed_. Although he considered himself lucky that it wasn't one of those periods where he was swarmed by pesky paper-airplanes, mysterious mind-numbing vapors and those annoying flirting laughs (which seemed to be following him constantly, now that he thought about it) it still prevented him from picking up a good attitude and shrugging everything off. And what was it that was making him mentally throw daggers on the one responsible for his agony? (God, he would rip the bowels from that stupid two-bit guard the second he saw him again) It was _what_ was that miserable waste of time was _dedicated_ to. And what was it? Geology. _Geology!_ Geology for _Christ's sake!_ Here he was—the heir to a multi-billion dollar company, with stock higher than both Apple and Microsoft combined—taking an _Earth Studies_ course at a public high school, as if he was trying to get into a community college to _ensure his "future!" _ **(A/N 3)**

Murmuring darkly under his breath, he walked by the cafeteria marquee and after glancing up at it, took the liberty to read today's caption:

**All our food is made and processed by our own students.**

**Today's menu is:  
Tonkatsu and rice  
Chicken Chow-mien**

**and for desert:  
Green-tea flavored Ice-cream.**

**_Go Rintama Scorpions!_ **

Raising a single eyebrow at today's given school provided luncheon (and also in response to the caption "All or food is made and processed by our own students") Yakou stared up it, looking much less than enthusiastic about what he was supposed to "eat" today (and also briefly contemplating on all that could be _in _the ice-cream). Then, pressing on, he shook his head, muttered to himself, "That can't be good."

Walking into the lunchroom, his eyes quickly scanned over the various tables and the people that inhabited them. In the middle of the room, there were the punk-dressed children (who looked _very_ much like the ones he saw last night), who were presently restraining another student, one of them actually holding a serrated weapon up against his throat. Scratch that. Besides, there was no way he was going to lose _another _expensive item to the likes of them. Looking off towards the side (seated at the table closest to the door) was a group of gossipy girls (who wore a school uniform even worse than Mazaki Anzu's), who were currently swearing and verbally assaulting one another, with one boy seated at their table, pretending to be deeply engaged with an imported _Playboy_ magazine, while actually looking down one girl's shirt and feeling up the calve of another's. No way he would sit there; he had one girl to deal with in his life, and that was all that mattered. Last but not least, sitting at the far end table (on the other side of the room), was a group of stoner-kids who were staring out at what appeared to be a fire hydrant still encased in glass against the wall, one of them actually smoking what looked like a wrapped up manga-page. He didn't even _need_ to think up an excuse to not sit with them. It was obvious enough as it was.

Deciding he wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible, Tenma quickly grabbed a tray and walked up to the buffet-line. Sliding through the whole thing without stopping for 'anything' (passing by and carefully moving around another kid, who actually appeared to be drunk now that he thought about it)—Yakou finally reached the end of the line and stopped in front of the cashier-table. The woman who was operating it was extremely overweight and was in possession of a face that looked like a toad's. Also, her outfit, accompanied by an ugly-looking hair-net, only made her appearance look just about five times worse.

Glancing at him oddly, after noticing that his tray was vacant, she looked at him and asked, in an expression that sounded like she was extremely grumpy, "You not gett'n anything? Look _dude_, we wash those trays so you can use them; or are you too high to see what real food is?"

Narrowing his eyes (absolutely hating that this woman was affiliating him with these… these… _morons_) Yakou inhaled sharply before responding, "Hardly. I was just _wondering_ if this little chicken-feeder that happens to be under your supervision has possession of _anything_ that's fit for _human consumption_, let alone high-school students."

Not evening taking three seconds to respond, the woman retorted, "Possibly the hot-dog buns. Five hundred yen please." With that, she opened the cash-register and held out her hand towards Tenma, as if expecting something for her _services. _

Yakou stared at her, wondering if there was at all the possibility that this woman was not in the right mind (perhaps the hag was affiliated with the kids in the back of the room) but decided to go with her, but in an exceedingly _different _way. Laughing slightly, he leaned against the edge of the register counter, and while looking at the woman directly in the eye, slyly inquired, "Tell me, _woman_. When was the _exact _"moment" when you lost your passion for your legitimate career—if this was _what _you wanted to do with you life, that is?

Hearing this, the woman suddenly began to shake violently, Tenma obviously having hit the most vulnerable and spot on the woman's bulky form (man, what were the odds). Then, collecting herself, the woman suddenly stood up straight and sneered, "Oh, _I _see. A smart-ass, huh? That's kind of rare now these days…" Taking out a pen from behind her hair-net and then retrieving a napkin from the other side of the cash-register, she began furiously scribbling down on the stiff piece of paper. After forcing the _miserable_ excuse for a teacher's note into the boy's grip, she looked back at the cash-register, snapping from the sidelines, "See your principal in an hour, _Socrates…_"

Deciding to take this debate all the way to the limit, Yakou raised his eyebrows and commented, inquisitively, "Oh, you _know _him?"

* * *

As the children walked by or emerged from the cafeteria, they paid no heed to what happened next. Whether it was because they were too stoned or just didn't care about it at all, not _one_ of them gave heads or tails of the sound of loud, hard, vicious slap, which echoed through the halls and classrooms of Rintama High School.

* * *

- TO BE CONTINUED -

* * *

The following is _not_ meant to be counter fanfictionDOTnet format. These are merely author notes. They are not meant to counteract the rules or restrictions of the webmaster's policies in anyway. Thank you for your attention.

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**Author Note 1 **– (Gasping for air, she's laughing so hard. Tries to calm down—fails… Then tries again) Poor Ryou—he doesn't know the damage he's caused himself. Anyway, know that I do support the coupling of Mai times Jounouchi (very much so)—but personally, II think it's kind of scary when you see it in the hardcore _anime._ I know I'm not one to talk (seeing as I like Pegasus times _Shizuka_—of all unusually creepy couples) but it's different because this has been actually made into the _official _Yu-Gi-Oh. I mean, let's face it; Mai's twenty-four years old and Jounouchi is around seventeen-ish, yet they're "practically" _canon_ (Not quite, though. Here's a lesson for all you kiddies out there: Pegasus/Cyndia is the only- _true_- "canon" pairing in the whole series. Everything else is either speculation or one-sided. Yu-Gi-Oh R _might_ change that, but it's highly implausible, considering that it is still a "shonen" genred comic series and unlikely to change). I just think it's kind of uhm… er… unusual, is all.

**Author Note 2** – This is so typical of EXPRESS. You buy a shit load of already expensive jeans (which for me, only last about a year or even leess) and they say, "Hey! Buy two more you can have the next one FREE!" I mean, hey—they're very nice (I love their jeans) but seriously… Any who, that was the best example in which I could see Mai getting lured into something like that (she just appears to be the type that would be vulnerable to the dark-side of the international economy—not that I can criticize it… _sigh_).

**Author Note 3 –** In truth, I doubt "any" company could have stock like that in _real_ life, but in the Yu-Gi-Oh Universe, why the hell not? I mean, it seems more people buy those cards that computers—so it seems like it could actually be plausible.

* * *

**Random Note:** Well, that's what I was working on for the past few months, along side with my Cinematography practical(s), creative drawing-class assignments, Astronomy quizzes and midterms, and my class projects (times two) for my digital animation class. So quite frankly, you people were lucky to get _anything_ from me with my present schedule. (and here I thought having a bunch of electives would 'help' me—I should have _known_ damn-it) Sorry to bite. I'm just really stressed. Anything, thank you for those friendly "happy-birthday" e-mails and messages. I really do appreciate it. This is not sarcasm, a few people actually went out of there way to do this for me, and I'm very thankful for their kindness). Anyway, catch you people later. I got a character to construct for my animation class. (walks away) 


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